


Mystery Kids and the Case of the Whispering Rock

by MayDayGirl_Save_Our_Ships



Category: Coraline (2009), Gravity Falls, ParaNorman (2012), Parapines - Fandom, Psychonauts, mystery kids - Fandom
Genre: Mystery Kids
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-09
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2018-07-14 03:18:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 41,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7150901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MayDayGirl_Save_Our_Ships/pseuds/MayDayGirl_Save_Our_Ships
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Norman, Neil, Coraline, Wybie, Raz and Lili arrive at Grunkle Stan’s Summer Camp with the hope of having a summer of fun, or in the case of the two Psychonauts, with the intent of investigating a psychic disturbance. When they meet two twins that seem to be experts on the secrets of Gravity Falls, they find themselves reluctantly teaming up. But how much can they actually trust each other? There are secrets in this town, but more surprising are the secrets being kept from each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Table of Contents

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the Mystery Kids Case Files series! This story is just the first out of many.  
> This fic, and all the others in the series, will also be on my tumblr [ mysterykidscasefiles.](http://mysterykidscasefiles.tumblr.com/) I will be updating my tumblr first when a new chapter comes out and I will also be posting extra stuff that has to do with my fic there. 
> 
> I will try to update consistently since a good portion of the fic is already written. 
> 
> Note: This fic takes place in the middle of Gravity Falls season 2 before Ford arrives.

**Act 1**

**Prologue**

**Chapter 1: Trust No One**

**Chapter 2: Grunkle Stan’s Summer Camp**

**Chapter 3: Welcome to Gravity Falls**

**Chapter 4: The Mystery Hack**

**Chapter 5: Fake Psychics**

**Chapter 6: Marco Polo**

**Chapter 7: Haunted House**

**Chapter 8: Cold Spots**

**Chapter 9: The Attic**

**Chapter 10: Luis Cardinal**

**Chapter 11: Other Mother**

**Chapter 12: Secrets**

**Chapter 13: Bad Blood**

**Chapter 14: Lil’ Gideon**

**Chapter 15: The Séance**

**Chapter 16: The Walk Home**

**Chapter 17: Coraline’s Nightmare**

**Chapter 18: Arts and Crafts**

**Chapter 19: The Hike**

**Chapter 20: The Footprint**

**Chapter 21: The Cabin**

**Chapter 22: To the East**

**Chapter 23: Lost and Found**

**Act 2**

**(More info coming soon…)**

 


	2. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My tumblr: [ mysterykidscasefiles.](http://mysterykidscasefiles.tumblr.com/)

Mabel stared open-mouthed at her two friends, Grenda and Candy.

“Wh- what did you say?” Mabel asked in disbelief.

The three of them stood outside the Mystery Shack. The soles of their shoes grated on the gravel road beneath them. The sky was grey and soulless, as if the sun had grown weak and couldn’t muster up the effort needed to burn through the clouds. Despair was more than just a feeling; it was a bitter taste in the air.

Grenda rolled her eyes. “Are you deaf now too? We said we don’t want to be around you anymore!”

Mabel’s eyebrows creased in confusion. “But… but I don’t understand. We’re friends!”

Candy scoffed. “We just pretended to be your friends because we felt sorry for you. We never really liked you. Why would anyone like you anyway? You’re just silly and dumb.” Candy adjusted her glasses critically. “No one can take you seriously.”

“I… I don’t understand,” Mabel said, her voice wavering as she felt her throat grow tighter. “Why are you being mean?” Mabel didn’t understand what was going on. Why would Candy say something like that? That couldn’t be what she really thought, could it?

“Grenda and I are tired of dumbing everything down for you. It was funny at first, but now you’re just a pain.”

“I’m not dumb!” Mabel defended. “I may not be good a studying for school, but I still get okay grades and I’m good at other things.”

“Like cutting out guys faces in magazines and adding glitter to everything?” Grenda asked sarcastically, a haughty smirk on her face. “You realize that’s not a real talent, right?!”

“B-But those things are fun! You guys said you liked doing them with me.” Mabel could hear the tears in her voice even before the back of her eyes began to sting.

“We don’t like doing anything with you,” Candy countered immediately. “Don’t you get it? We were never really your friends. Why would we want to be friends with someone who does stupid stuff all the time and doesn’t take anything seriously? You think the most fun thing to do is to dress up a pig and make silly sweaters.”

“I-” Mabel started to defend herself when a large hand covered her shoulder. She looked up to see her Grunkle’s face.

“Grunkle Stan!” Mabel didn’t have the energy to smile but she felt an enormous amount of relief wash over her.

“Come on, Mabel,” Stan said in a gruff voice. “Let’s go.”

“Wh-why? Where are we going?”

Grunkle Stan didn’t answer, and instead he steered her away down a lonely country road. Mabel looked back and her heart sank when she saw Candy and Grenda smirking in satisfaction.

Mabel shook her head to clear it. This didn’t make any sense! Grenda, Candy and her always had so much fun together. This had to be a cruel joke. Mabel would have thought she was dreaming if everything hadn’t felt so real. She pinched herself just to be sure, but nothing changed.

Maybe it was true then? Maybe they did think she was just a dumb, silly girl who they humored. Mabel knew some people thought of her like that. Not everyone appreciated her personality, but she never thought Candy or Grenda would be one of those people.

Grunkle Stan and Mabel traveled down the road together in unusual silence until they stopped at a familiar bus stop.

“Grunkle Stan, what’s going on?” Mabel asked.

“I’m sending you home, Kid,” Grunkle Stan said without even sparing her a glance.

“Wh-what?” Mabel yelped, turning to face her uncle. “Why? The summer isn’t over yet! And where’s Dipper?”

“Dipper is staying with me. He doesn’t drive me up the wall like you do,” Stan confessed coldly. “The truth is kid, I’ve grown sick of you and your stupid antics.”

Mabel froze, her body growing cold. “But… but I’m your adorable great niece!”

“You think you’re adorable, Mabel, but the truth is you’re just annoying,” Stan said bluntly. Mabel felt her heart give a painful lurch.

“But-”

Stan sighed and rolled his eyes. “Look, I thought I could stand you for the summer but I was wrong. At least your brother is intelligent and can be useful to me. I don’t know how he puts up with you.”

Mabel’s felt her chest constrict tightly and it was getting harder to breathe.

“Why are you saying these things?” Mabel whimpered. “They’re not funny, Grunkle Stan.”

Her uncle pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s not meant to be a joke, Kid.” Stan glanced up at the street. “Oh, here we go. Your bus is finally here.”

The greyhound bus pulled up beside them and the doors opened.

“My bus?”

“It’s time for you to go home and annoy your own parents. It’s no wonder they wanted to get rid of you for the summer.”

This was all wrong! There had to be some sort of explanation for why everyone was acting like this… and… where was her brother?

“No! This has to be a trick!” Mabel yelled as she wiped the tears from her eyes stubbornly. Gravity Falls was full of crazy, unbelievable monsters. Maybe one of them was somehow playing a trick on her. Anything was possible in this town, but not this. “I’m not going anywhere until I see my brother!”

Stan sighed tiredly. “You’re not going to make this easy, are you Kid?”

“It’s okay, Grunkle Stan,” said a voice that Mabel knew as well as her own, “I thought you might need help explaining it to her.”

“Dipper!” Mabel exclaimed as her brother appeared from behind the bus and she was filled with a wave of relief. Dipper would be able to explain this to her. “What’s going on?” she asked. “Everyone is acting really mean. Are they under some sort of spell?”

Instead of answering her, Dipper just stared at her for a long second and Mabel felt her uneasiness grow. His eyes- which looked so much like her own- were looking back at her with nothing less than the coldest look of contempt Mabel had ever seen.

“No,” Dipper said at last. “No one is under any spell, they are just finally telling you the truth.” Dipper stuffed his hands in his pockets as he shrugged casually. “Everyone is tired of babying you, Mabel. People are done indulging you to make you feel special.”

Mabel stared at her brother with wide, unbelieving eyes. Why was he saying those things?

“Stop it, Dipper! This isn’t funny!”

Dipper adjusted his hat disinterestedly. “It’s not supposed to be funny. You think you’re adorable and cute, but the truth is everyone finds your silliness annoying. No one takes you seriously.” Dipper took a step forward. “People laugh at you behind your back all the time. It’s embarrassing. Do you know how hard that is to put up with?”

Mabel clenched her fists and her nails began digging into her skin, but she didn’t even notice the pain. “Why are you saying that?” she asked in a small voice.

“Because it’s true, and it’s time for you to know. Time to grow up, Mabel.”

Mabel shook her head, tears blurring her vision. “I don’t understand. Why are you saying that?” she demanded again, louder this time, angrier.

“I told you-”

“Stop it! This isn’t funny, Dipper. Just stop it!”

“Mabel,” Dipper’s voice was calm and steady, but there was also relief in his voice. It was the voice of someone who had been wanting to confess something for a very long time. “The only joke here is you.”

Even though what he was saying was awful, deep down Mabel couldn’t help but feel like she had always known this to be true. She just never thought her brother would feel this way.

“You’re not smart, you’re not helpful to me. The only thing you do is get in my way,” Dipper continued. “I always have to sacrifice everything I want because of you and I’m sick of it. So for the rest of the summer, please, just go home. Give me a break for once. I’m so tired of being your twin.”

A sob erupted from Mabel’s throat as she clenched her hand over her mouth.

Why?

Is this really how Dipper had always been feeling? Had Grunkle Stan, Candy and Grenda just been lying to her?

Dipper rolled his eyes. “Oh don’t cry. Just get on the bus and you can cry all you want back home.”

“So this is how you really feel?” Mabel asked. Her throat was swollen from the tears but she had to know.

“It’s how everyone feels,” Dipper confirmed.

“Just get a move on, Kid,” Stan said gruffly. “The bus won’t wait forever.”

She could barely see through her tears, and despite the numbness in her body, she felt herself nod stiffly. In that moment she wanted nothing more than to be home in her bed nestled deep under the covers buried under a mountain of stuffed animals.

She turned to the open door of the bus. Hesitating, she lifted her foot. Candy and Grenda didn’t want her here. Grunkle Stan didn’t want her here. Even her own brother...

He was right, though, wasn’t he? She did slow down her brother. He had given up so many things for her. How many times had she gotten in the way of what he wanted? Perhaps she was the reason why he still hadn’t solved the mysteries of this town.

For a reason Mabel couldn’t explain, she felt like once she stepped onto the bus she wouldn’t be able to come back.

Mabel’s head felt fuzzy. It was hard to think and the only image that would come to her mind was her brother’s cold, empty glare. He had never looked at her like that before, not even when he was mad at her. She didn’t even think her good hearted brother was even capable of such a look.

In fact, the things he said today were all things she never thought he would say to her.

Her mind swam fuzzily, like she had cotton in her brain, but the more she tried to think about the brother she knew- the goofy, dorky, kind brother she had known all her life- the clearer her thoughts started to become.

_Nothing made any sense!_ She pushed through the fog.

_Dipper wouldn’t do this._ Her thoughts became stronger, more coherent.

_This was wrong. Everything here was wrong!_

Mabel put her foot back down on the concrete and stepped away from the bus. Immediately, her mind cleared, like the wind blowing away the fog.

_MABEL!!!_

Mabel clenched her hands tightly over both of her ears. Her brother’s voice rang through her head like a bell, causing her eardrums to erupt in pain.

_MABEL, DON’T!!! GET AWAY FROM THE EDGE!!!_

“Dipper?” she called out weakly. Edge? There wasn’t an edge.

Mabel backed further away from the bus and turned back to Dipper.

“What edge?” she asked him.

I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dipper said, his eyes narrowing. “Just get on the bus, Mabel.”

“Not until you tell me what’s going on!” Mabel demanded, stomping her foot. She felt her energy returning to her. She hadn’t realized she had been feeling so weak.

“We’ve already told you what’s going on. We’re trying to get you to go home.”

“Because I’m stupid, and silly and useless, right? That’s what you think?”

“Of course.” Dipper answered derisively. “Doesn’t everyone?”

Mabel’s stomach lurched. “I know some people think that about me. Sometimes I think that too. You don’t think I compare myself to Dipper all the time? But there is one person that I know doesn’t think that about me.” Mabel clenched her fists, her eyes narrowing.

Dipper scoffed. “It can’t be anyone I know.”

“It’s not. It’s my brother.”

The fake Dipper narrowed his eyes. “I am your brother. Don’t fool yourself just because you don’t like to hear the truth-” he began but Mabel cut him off with a step forward and a ferocious shake of her head.

“No, you are NOT my brother,” Mabel insisted. “And do you want to know how I know that? Because even though I have moments when I believe I’m useless or too silly, my brother has never ever, ever thought that about me! Not even once!” Mabel shoved her fake brother’s chest, causing him to stagger backwards.

“And even if he’s wrong,” Mabel continued, “even if I’m useless and slow him down, Dipper would never ever leave me behind! You made a mistake, whatever-you-are, when you decided to impersonate my brother, because you don’t know anything about him! And guess what? There is no one that knows him better than me! I’m stupid, huh? Well, I just outsmarted you!” she launched herself at him, her hands moving to punch the creature’s face as she tackled him to the ground.

“HOW DARE YOU, YOU USELESS BRAT!” the fake Dipper screamed, but it wasn’t Dipper’s normal girly scream. The creature’s scream was deep and unearthly. It echoed through Mabel’s mind, crawled under her skin and caused the hair to rise on her arms.

Fake Dipper pushed her off and clambered to his feet. Mabel was breathing heavily, but Fake Dipper’s chest was still. Whatever it was, it was far from human.

“How did you do that?” Fake Dipper spat as he stood glaring at her and shaking with rage. “No one has ever broken free before! HOW DID YOU DO THAT!?” It screeched again.

Mabel’s throat was dry and she could feel her heart was pounding hard against her chest. However, she was used to this feeling. Dipper and her faced monsters many times a week. Yes, she was scared and confused, but fear made her fast and strong. This monster had done something to her brother, and Mabel was going to save him no matter what.

“Where is my brother?” Mabel demanded. “You better tell me what you’ve done with him or-”

“Or what, tiny child? What will you do?” Fake Dipper asked, his voice unnervingly calm for the rage Mabel could see behind his eyes. He stepped closer to her and Mabel fought the urge to back away.

“What are you?” Mabel asked, her eyes narrowing.

“What am I?” Fake Dipper cocked his head to the side in amusement. “I am the Fear-eater, and that’s all you really need to know. I don’t know how you were able to see through my trick. No one has ever been able to do that before, but I’ll figure out how you did it later. Right now I want to ask… Do you know why I look like your brother?”

Mabel balled her hands up in the fabric of her sweater. She had a feeling she wasn’t going to like the answer. “W-why?”

“Because I killed him,” the monster’s words rolled out of Dipper’s supposedly dead lips. “He’s dead. He has to be for me to wear his face. The same goes for that Stan guy and your little friends.”

Mabel couldn’t breathe; it felt like her chest cavity had collapsed. She tried to fight the rising panic and the tears that threatened to spill over. _He’s lying, he’s lying… he has to be lying. I would know if Dipper was dead._

“I’m not lying,” he echoed her thoughts. “I can change into people only when I’ve killed and consumed them.” He stepped forward and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look into her brother’s eyes. “And do you know why I’ve done this?”

Mabel’s heart was beating so rapidly it hurt. She shook her head numbly, but what she really wanted to do was punch that smirk off his face, and keep punching him until he admitted what a lying-liar he was… he had to be.

“Because I enjoy this,” he purred, still gripping her chin tighter. “This is what I do. I know the darkest part of your heart. I make your worst fears come true. I know, deep down, you fear everyone thinks you're too silly to be of any real use. You doubt your own intelligence, because let’s face it tiny child, compared to your late brother you really are quite dumb. So I consumed your friends and family and created your worst fear. Somehow I must have made a mistake and allowed you to catch on, but it doesn’t matter.”

Mabel could feel herself trembling in his grip.

“They’re all dead, Mabel. Your brother, your Grunkle Stan, your two friends. They’re all dead because I was targeting you. You know I’m not lying. Remember, tiny child, I can see into the dark recesses of your heart. You know I’m speaking the truth.”

The creature in the form of her brother released her chin and Mabel fell to her knees.

_He-he’s not lying. He really did… Dipper… please, no..._

Mabel buried her hands in her hair as she curled into herself and sobbed.

This wasn’t a dream. This felt too real to be a dream.

“Now, come on,” the creature said coldly. “There is no reason for you to hang around here anymore. Get on the bus. Who else is going to tell your parents what happened?”

Mabel couldn’t move. She could barely hear the creature’s insistence that she needed to get up. What was she supposed to do now? Her friends, Grunkle Stan and Dipper… Dipper was…

Mabel looked up through her tears to glare at the creature in front of her that looked exactly like her twin. Energy burned through her like she had never felt before. She clenched her fists together. Her mind went blank and all she wanted to do was make this creature pay.

“You…” Mabel’s voice rasped. “You killed them!”

She moved to lunge at the creature, but he backed away too quickly.

“No, no, dear, tiny child, you have it backwards. You killed them. I would have never had to kill them if your fear and self-doubt hadn’t been so delicious. Although, I admit, your brother lets his fear rule him even more than you do, and would have been an easier target, but I have a thing for people who think they’re confident. It’s more fun to bring them down.”

“I don’t understand,” Mabel hissed.

Fake Dipper shrugged with a cocky grin. “There’s nothing to understand. I’m a Fear-eater, it’s what I do. It’s fun to see humans in such a state of agony. It’s even more fun to see you hate me so, but not be able to do anything about it. And more than that, it’s fun to see how much you hate yourself.”

Mabel glared at him; tears falling freely from her eyes.

“Have you ever wanted to hurt someone before, tiny child?” the Fear-eater asked in amusement. “I don’t think so. I don’t think you’ve ever wanted revenge more than you want it now. It’s just not in your nature. However, you can’t hurt me. Even if you managed to attack me, you would just be hitting your brother’s already dead body-”

Mabel heard herself let out an ugly sob.

_Stop it! Stop it! Stop saying that!_ She wanted to scream, but no words made it out her throat.

“Get on the bus. There is nothing more you can do here.”

Mabel felt like the world was pressing down on her. All the anger was sucked out of her body and she was filled with nothingness, but nothingness was surprisingly heavy. There was nothing more she could do. It was hopeless. Her brother, her uncle and her friends were gone and it was all her fault.

She just didn’t want to think anymore. It hurt too much. The bus was her only escape.

Mabel felt herself stand. Something was wrong, but the pain made it hard to think straight. Emptiness pressed against every part of her, making it impossible to breathe.

Mabel approached the bus.

This was her only option.

_MABEL! STOP IT!_

Dipper’s voice sounded clearly through her head. Mabel whirled around, air rushing into her throat.

“Dipper?” she called hopefully. “Dipper, is that you? Where are you?”

“He’s dead, I already told you,” Fake Dipper snarled.

_STOP IT, MABEL! WAKE UP!_

There! She heard Dipper again, but curiously Fake Dipper’s mouth wasn’t moving.

“No, he’s not dead! I just heard him!” Mabel yelled. “Dipper! Dipper, where are you?”

_MABEL, PLEASE! YOU NEED TO WAKE UP! PLEASE WAKE UP!_

“I’m asleep? This is a nightmare?” Mabel asked herself as she looked around. “But it feels so real.”

“I said get on the bus, you little brat!” Fake Dipper ordered. “Do as you are told!”

Mabel took a threatening step towards the creature impersonating her brother (and away from the bus).

“This isn’t real.” Mabel said with a hopeful gleam. “You have been lying to me about everything. You didn’t really kill my brother, or Grunkle Stan, or my friends! This is all just a nightmare!”

The creature growled deeply. “Even if it is… It’s one you won’t escape from.”

“Not if I wake up!” Mabel said. “I know it’s a dream now, which means I just have to wake up and it will be over.”

“I won’t let you! You’re in too deep!” The creature snarled. It no longer sounded like Dipper. It’s voice clawed sharply at her skull and made her jaw clench in pain.

“Then stop me,” Mabel challenged. The creature, however, didn’t move a muscle. “You can’t, can you?” she asked knowingly. “All you want me to do is to get on that bus. I don’t know what that will do, but I’m guessing it’s something bad. If you could, I bet you would push me into the bus yourself, but you haven’t done that. I don’t know why, but I think that means you can’t hurt me. If you could, you would have tried a long time ago.”

The creature hissed.

“Now I’m going home. My real home.”

Mabel hugged her arms to herself. “Wake up, wake up, wake up…”

“No! Don’t you dare!” the creature screeched.

She pinched her arm hard and had to bite her lip harder to keep from crying out. “Please, let me go home… there is no place like home, there is no place like home.” She pinched her arm again, even harder, and then again. “There is no place like home…”

* * *

“Mabel! Mabel!” she heard her brother shouting, but he sounded muffled and far away. Opening her eyes, her vision was dim and as fuzzy.

“Mabel!” Dipper’s face sprung into her field of vision.

Suddenly, everything came back to her and she sat up in a rush of panic and relief.

“Dipper!” she shouted happily, just glad to see him alive.

“Mabel!” His arms wrapped around her so tightly she could barely breathe.

Mabel didn’t understand what was going on. Dipper never gave hugs like this. Dipper rarely ever initiated hugs and when he did they were short and awkward.

“Thank goodness!” he breathed. “I couldn’t wake you up! I thought you were going to…”

Mabel hugged him back just as tightly, burying her face in his shoulder. “I-I know,” her voice cracked. “I thought you were dead. I really, really thought…” She let herself take a breath. “But it was just a dream.”

“Mabel,” Dipper said as they separated. “What happened? I tried everything to wake you up, but nothing was working.”

Mabel shook her head. “It was this creature. He called himself a Fear-eater. He tried to trick me into thinking… well, a lot of things that weren’t true. I don’t know why. I’m not really sure what he wanted.” Mabel looked around for the first time, finally taking in where they were sitting. “Dipper?” she asked curiously. “Why are we in the forest?”

Dipper was staring at her with deep concern. “You don’t know? You were sleepwalking Mabel. You- you wouldn't stop, no matter what I said or how I tried to block your path.”

“Really? Where was I going?”

Dipper gripped her hand tightly before pointing to his right. Mabel turned her head and stared; her heart dropping into her legs. Only a few feet from where she and Dipper sat was the edge of a high cliff. If Mabel fell off that she wouldn’t have survived.

“Oh,” Mabel breathed, her mouth dry.

“Y-yeah,” Dipper agreed shakily. “You were so close to the edge so many times. It was like you wanted to walk off and no matter wh-what I did, you- you wouldn’t stop.”

It wasn’t until now that Mabel took in the entirety of Dipper’s appearance. She could see dried tear stains down his face; his pajama pants and shirt were soaked with sweat and dirt. He looked like he had fallen multiple times while trying to stop her from sleepwalking through the forest.

“A-at first when you started walking out of our room I-I just thought you were joking with me,” Dipper stuttered, barely able to contain his tears. “But then you just wouldn’t stop.”

Mabel shook her head. “The Fear-eater kept trying to get me to get on the bus in my dream. I bet he was really trying to get me to walk off the cliff. That’s why he couldn’t just push me into the bus, I had to walk on the bus myself so I would walk off the cliff.”

“Fear-eater, huh?” Dipper asked, his voice suddenly less shaky as grabbed journal number three, which was lying in the dirt beside them. “I think I saw an entry on that.” He flipped through the pages expertly. “Here it is. Fear-eaters. Creatures that infiltrate a person’s dreams and discovers their worst fears. They then recreate those fears in the person's mind. The more the person succumbs to their fears, the stronger the hold the Fear-eater has over them. The Fear-eater tricks their victim into unknowingly killing themselves. Victims of the Fear-eaters have thrown themselves into lakes to drown or driven their cars into oncoming traffic.” Dipper stopped reading and looked up at her. “This definitely sounds like what happened to you.”

Mabel nodded. “It felt so real. If it wasn’t for the Fear-eater’s mistake I would have never realized something was wrong, and if it wasn’t for you yelling for me to wake up I would have never realized it was a dream.”

“Wait, what mistake? What fear did the Fear-eater use against you?”

Mabel bit her lip. “It doesn't matter. I got away, right? And I doubt it will come after me again.”

“But what if it does? I need to know everything so I can help you.”

“Really, I’m fine, Dipper,” Mabel brushed him off. “I know how to beat him now anyways.”

“Well, what if it comes after me? Anything you tell me might help me escape,” Dipper insisted. “What did it do to you that’s so bad that you can’t even tell me, Mabel?”

Mabel hesitated; her hands twisting in the fabric of her pajamas.

“It just…” Mabel heard her voice waver. “It said a lot of awful things, and I believed it for a while.”

“What did it say?” Dipper asked again worriedly and Mabel shivered in the cool night air.

“In my dream,” Mabel said slowly, “it first took the form of Candy and Grenda.”

“It can take the form of other people?” Dipper asked in amazement while glancing down at journal number three. The journal hadn’t mentioned that.

Mabel nodded. “Yeah, and it looks and sounds just like them. In the dream, Candy and Grenda told me they didn’t want to be my friend anymore. They said they thought I was too silly and dumb.”

“Mabel,” Dipper said softly. “You know that’s not true. And your friends would never say that.”

Mabel shrugged half-heartedly. “I thought it might have been a trick too, but then Grunkle Stan appeared. He said the same thing. He also said that he was tired of me and he wanted me to get on the bus and go home.”

Dipper blinked at that. “What? But that doesn’t make any sense! Stan wouldn’t do that either. Plus, you know I wouldn’t let you leave without me, right?”

“Well, you were there too,” Mabel hedged quietly, unable to look in her brother’s eyes.

Dipper groaned. “Oh no, what did that Fear-eater make me say to you, Mabel? Whatever it is you have to know it’s not true.”

Mabel felt tears in her eyes but she blinked them away. She laughed quietly to herself. “I know Dipper, that’s the mistake that the Fear-eater made. I-I know I’m not good at being serious, and I know I drag you down sometimes-”

“Mabel, you don’t-”

“I do. But I also know, no matter what, you would never leave me on my own,” Mabel finished quickly, giving her sibling a tight hug. “That’s when I figured out that the imposter wasn’t you and everyone else had been a fake too. I still hadn’t realized it was a dream yet though.” Mabel was still hugging Dipper fiercely; needing all the comfort she could find to get through this next part. “The Fear-eater said that to impersonate everyone he had to… to kill everyone.” Mabel swallowed. “I thought you were all dead because of me.”

Dipper squeezed her tightly. “That wouldn’t have been your fault, Mabel, even if he had killed us.”

Mabel was silent. She didn’t want to even entertain the possibility that the Fear-eater, or anyone, might kill them.

“You said you heard me calling for you?” Dipper finished for her.

Mabel nodded slowly. “It was hard to resist getting on the bus at first. It felt like it was pulling me towards it and I couldn’t really think straight. It seemed like the only option, but then I heard you calling to me, and I could sort of think again. I knew you were alive and this wasn’t real. I pinched my arm until I woke up.”

They sat in silence for a while. The wet dew on the forest floor soaking into their clothes, and the only heat came from each other.

“Mabel?” Dipper prodded, but his sister shook her head against his shoulder.

After a moment of silence, Mabel spoke again. “Come on, let’s go home,” she said suddenly as she jumped to her feet. “It’s cold out here.”

“Yeah,” Dipper agreed as he stood with her. “We really shouldn’t be in these woods at night. It’s dangerous enough during the day.”

Dipper took her hand and led her through the forest. They both knew the woods well, but even the most experienced traveler could get lost in these woods, and everything looked different at night.

The Mystery Shack creaked as they entered and ascended the stairs to the attic.

After changing into fresh pajamas that weren’t caked with dirt and dew, Dipper crawled into bed. He didn't say anything when Mabel crawled into his bed beside him. After all, they could both use the extra security tonight.


	3. Chapter 1: Trust No One

“I can’t believe this! What was Stan thinking?” Dipper asked his sister, who sat on the armrest of the couch while Dipper paced. “I mean, Stan isn’t qualified to run a summer camp for kids! Who in their right mind would send him their children?” He paused. “Besides, you know, our parents.”

“But the brochure looks really nice,” Mabel explained. “I designed it myself.”

Dipper stared at his twin, betrayal in his eyes. “You knew about this? You knew and you didn’t tell me? Why would you help Stan with this?”

Mabel shook her head. “You don’t understand, brother of mine. The reward was too great to pass up! Do you know how many sprinkles and gummy bears I got for helping him, do you?” 

“But Mabel, do you really want a bunch of strange kids staying in the Shack?”

Mabel shrugged. “Maybe they’re nice? We might have fun!”

“The Shack is not equipped to be a summer camp, Mabel! These kids are going to be looking forward to kayaking and campfire sing-alongs. Stan just wants to use them for cheap labor. What if they call their parents and Stan gets arrested… again.”

“Oh my gosh, Dip! You’re right!”

“Thank you-” 

“We should show them around town! Convince them to give Gravity Falls a chance so that they won't call child services!” 

“Actually… I was kind of hoping we could find a way to make them leave that wouldn’t get Stan in trouble,” Dipper mumbled.

“Oh, I know!” Mabel exclaimed, having not even heard her brother. “We can show them some of the mysteries of Gravity Falls! Like the size-changing crystals and the fairy grove we found the other day!”

“No, Mabel!” Dipper said, looking at his sister in horror. “We can’t tell them anything about the secrets of Gravity Falls!”

“But… I thought you wanted people to know?” Mabel pointed out, cocking her head to the side curiously.

“A scientific journal or the news, yes! But some kids who will only be staying here for the summer? No way!”

“But  _ we’re _ just some kids staying here for the summer…” Mabel pointed out and Dipper sent her a tired glare.

“What do you think will happen if we show these kids all the supernatural stuff we know about?”

“Umm…”

“They will want to know how we know so much,” Dipper answered his own question. “That will lead them to the journal, and you know what the journal says, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, trust no one. I got it.” Mabel rolled her eyes. “You say that almost every week… paranoid much?”

“I’m serious, Mabel! In the wrong hands this journal is dangerous! If it wasn’t, then Gideon wouldn’t have been after it!”

Mabel made a face at the mention of Gideon. “Okay, I get it, but I don’t think you have to be paranoid with these people. They’re not from Gravity Falls so they should be pretty normal.”

Dipper had to concede that fact. “Yeah well…” he agreed slowly. “All the more reason to keep them far away from the supernatural. Besides, we are too busy to babysit them anyways. We still haven’t figured out our latest mystery.”

“The centaur thing? But I thought we already helped unite their tribes.”

“No! Not that one! Remember the weird dreams?”

“The one I had with the Fear-eater? But I thought we figured that one out.” Mabel shivered slightly. “And I really don’t want to think about that again.”

“No! The dreams that everyone in town has been having.”

Mabel sighed. “Dipper, that was a week ago! Everyone has forgotten about that already.”

“Everyone single person in town dreamed about hair spray, Mabel. Hair spray! The really strong stuff. In the same night everyone in the whole town had nothing but dreams about hairspray. You don’t think that needs more investigating?”

“Maybe it was just a coinci-”

“Don’t say it was a coincidence,” Dipper interrupted before she could finish. “You know there is no such thing as a coincidence in Gravity Falls.”

“Okay, fine…” she relented. “But maybe there are some mysteries that we just aren’t going to solve.”

Dipper shook his head. “No, I can’t accept that. I feel like that was just a part of something bigger. I mean, the whole town was affected at once! And the night after everyone in town dreamed about cherry ice cream.”

“Yumm, now that was a good dream. I wouldn’t mind having more of those.” 

“This is serious, Mabel. Something huge could be about to go down and we’re going to be stuck with keeping some strangers out of trouble when we should be solving mysteries.” 

“So you just want us to lie to them?”

Dipper nodded “It’s for their own good,” he explained. “You know most people don’t handle the supernatural very well.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is short so I'm going to try and post the next chapter very soon!  
> My tumblr: [ mysterykidscasefiles.](http://mysterykidscasefiles.tumblr.com/)


	4. Chapter 2: Grunkle Stan’s Summer Camp

_ “We’ve been getting strange psychic readings from the town of Gravity Falls, Oregon. You and your partner need to go undercover and see if you can sense any of these disturbances and root out the cause. Once you know what it is, report back your findings and we’ll send in a team to back you up.” _

Raz Aquato and Lilli Zanotto had been briefed on their mission by Agent Nein just yesterday and today they found themselves on a bus heading to the small town of Gravity Falls.

Raz knew he shouldn’t complain, but he had hoped his first official mission without senior agents around would be more exciting than just an undercover scouting operation.

Raz was a Psychonaut; a super-secret, psychic, government agent. He became an agent when he saved the kids and teachers at Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp from losing their minds (literally) to a power-crazed agent and a mad scientist. But that crazy week didn’t end there. Only minutes after becoming a Psychonaut, they discovered Lili’s dad, the Grand Psychonauts Chairman Truman Zanotto, had been kidnapped. Although saving the chairman had been Raz’s first official mission as a psychonaut, agents Nein and Vodello had taken the lead. However, in the end it had been Lili who saved her father and the world (with Raz’s help of course).

Thanks to her accomplishment and extraordinary psychic powers, Lili became the second ten-year-old to earn the rank of a Psychonaut. Raz couldn’t think of anyone he would rather have as a partner. Not only did Raz like her (a lot) but Lili was one of the most powerful psychics he knew.  

Raz wished that they were given more than a simple recon mission, especially since they had both saved the world twice, but apparently not. Agent Nein didn’t even tell them what kind of psychic disturbances they should be looking for. Either Agent Nein was trying to keep them in the dark about something or he didn’t know himself.

It had been a year since the summer they had saved Lili’s father, and since then, they had spent a few months at a secret training facility for new Psychonaut members.  After the training was over, Lili and Raz’s superiors instructed them to wait for further orders.  Raz went back to his family’s circus and Lili went home to attend her private school.  Just a few days ago, the Psychonauts’ private jet picked them up and Agent Nein briefed them on their current mission. It had been a long wait, and many months apart, but it had been worth it to be back in the field again... and back together.

Instead of looking at Lili, which is where his gaze wanted to go after so many months of not seeing her, Raz redirected his attention to the rest of the bus. The Psychonauts’ private jet dropped them off a few hours ago and they were forced to take this bus into town. Flying a jet into the small town of Gravity Falls would have blown their cover. The bus only contained four other people besides themselves and a driver.

The first person on the bus that grabbed Raz’s attention was a blue-haired girl who looked about thirteen years old. She had on an orange shirt and a dark blue jacket. On her lap was a black cat, which was sleeping peacefully. Raz was surprised she got away with having an animal on the bus.

The second person Raz noticed was a dark-haired boy sitting in the seat in front of the girl. His hair stood straight up and Raz wondered how much gel he put in his hair to get it to stay that way. He had dark eyes and soft features, which was a contrast to the girl’s colorful hair and stern face. However, despite their differences, Raz couldn’t help but notice these two looked similar.  It was possible they were related.

Next to the dark-haired boy was a chipper redhead. He was chubbier than his friend and seemed to talk non-stop. His friend with the long, spiky hair just smiled contentedly and allowed the redhead to talk. Neither of the two boys seemed particularly bothered by the one-sided conversation.

The tallest out of the group was the African American boy sitting next to the blue-haired girl. Or, he would be the tallest, if he didn’t slouch so much. He said something to the blue-haired girl and her stony expression cracked as she laughed.

The spiky-haired kid and the redhead looked to be a year younger than the other two. Raz assumed they all knew each other since they were sitting together.

_ ‘Of course Wybie is excited for this trip, he’s never been anywhere. But I bet this vacation is going to be so lame.’ _

That passing thought had come from the blue-haired girl’s mind and Raz tried to ignore it. Most psychics had to exert energy in order to read people’s thoughts, but for Raz, this talent came naturally. Too much so. Even without meaning too, Raz often caught the surface thoughts of a person’s mind. It was a useful gift, but it also got him into trouble. Most people, even fellow psychics, didn’t appreciate the invasion of privacy (not that Raz had much choice in the matter).

At least it didn’t happen all the time. Raz just wished he could control it so it didn’t happen unless he wanted to read someone’s mind. 

Raz muffled his mental ear so he wouldn’t pick up any more random thoughts from the kids in the bus. This took energy and he couldn’t keep it up for long, but Agent Nein encouraged him to practice this technique in order to improve his mental control. The only bad thing about it, besides it being exhausting, was that it made it harder for Lili to contact him telepathically if she needed to.

Raz’s eyes drifted back to the blue-haired girl and the rest of the kids. He wondered if they were all going to Grunkle Stan’s Summer Camp too.

Raz had no idea what a Grunkle was but Grunkle Stan’s Summer Camp was a camp was for children from the ages of ten to fourteen and it was open for most of the summer. Raz and Lili wouldn’t be there for long, however. Once they exposed the psychic disturbance they would head back to HQ. In the meantime, they needed a cover, and because two eleven-year-olds staying in a town on their own looked suspicious, they had to play the role of two kids going to summer camp.

Shouldn’t be too hard. Summer camp was how he and Lili met, after all. However, being undercover meant they couldn’t use their psychic powers unless absolutely necessary, but that wouldn’t be too much of a challenge either. He was used to hiding his powers in the circus, and he knew Lili was used to hiding her abilities at her private school.

Speaking of Lili… he glanced at his friend-  _ girlfriend _ \- he still had to get used to that.  She was staring out of the window, her eyes tracing the foliage as it passed by. Raz had the sudden desire to see her use her herbaphony power again. He wondered what kinds of things someone could learn from a plant.

It was then Raz noticed her expression. She wasn’t frowning like she often did. Instead, a neutral, thoughtful expression graced her features as she watched the scenery pass by. Lili was always pretty, but it wasn’t often that Raz caught her looking so unguarded. Raz smiled. He liked this Lili very much. 

Suddenly, Lili turned to face him with a questioning look. Raz suddenly realized he had been staring at her for a while. Good thing he had a strong hold of his powers or he would have probably set the bus on fire in his embarrassment.

“What?” Lili asked with a defensive tone, a frown returning to her face.

“Oh, uhh…” Raz tried to come up with a good excuse but nothing would come out. “N-nothing…” He looked away. His face felt like it was burning.

When Raz looked back at Lili he saw her looking out the bus window again smiling secretly to herself, a hint of red on her cheeks.

Lili couldn’t read Raz’s mind unless he purposefully opened his mind to her. Without the use of a psychic device, only top Psychonaut agents have been able to infiltrate his strangely impenetrable mind. Even Coach Oleander had once described Raz’s mind as ‘armored like a tank.’

So if Lili couldn’t read his mind, how did she manage to always make him feel like she could?

Raz’s gut twisted nervously. Oh boy. Maybe being partnered with his girlfriend was going to be harder than he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My tumblr: [ mysterykidscasefiles.](http://mysterykidscasefiles.tumblr.com/)
> 
> This chapter set up what happened since we last saw the psychonauts, Raz and Lili’s relationship and important details on how Raz’s powers work, especially his extra powerful mind reading ability.
> 
> Now we are officially done with the set up and in the next chapter they all meet!


	5. Chapter 3: Welcome to Gravity Falls

“Well, this is definitely a small town,” Coraline commented as she stepped out of the bus. Her friend, Wybie, followed behind her. 

As Norman exited the bus, he took a look around the empty bus station. It seemed like not many people came to Gravity Falls, and not many people left either. 

Neil exited the bus behind him, blinking the sleep from his eyes. Neil had managed to sleep the last hour of the trip, but the thought of seeing the new town they would be staying at for the next few months seemed to be enough to wake him up. 

“Well uh… maybe it won’t be so bad?” Norman offered to Coraline.

The blue-haired girl scoffed. “Whatever you say, Cuz.” 

Norman had never gotten to know his older cousin very well. He had seen her less than a handful of times in his life; the last time being at their grandmother’s funeral. They lived across country from each other ever since Coraline and her parents moved to Oregon a little less than two years ago. Norman hadn’t expected to see her again any time soon.

Then, out of nowhere, both of their parents decided they needed to bond and they thought sending the two of them to a summer camp together was the perfect way to do that. His sister, Courtney, was already going to cheerleader camp so she managed to get out of this “family bonding experience”.  

Coraline didn’t seemed psyched about the trip and Norman couldn’t blame her. The only silver lining was that Norman’s mom was able to talk Neil’s parents into sending him as well. Apparently, Coraline heard that Norman was bringing a friend and convinced Wybie to tag along at the last minute. The only thing Norman really knew about Coraline’s friend was that if you got him talking about something he was interested it was nearly impossible to get him to stop. 

Before Norman left for the camp, his dad sat him down and “encouraged” him not to tell the other people at the camp about his gift. His dad told him that people at camp would probably treat him as badly as people in Blithe Hollow did before they started to believe he could talk to the dead, not that Norman didn’t already know this. Norman knew his dad was just trying to look out of him, but it still hurt to hear his dad insisting that it would be impossible for Norman to make friends if he acted like himself.

Not even his aunts, uncles or cousins knew about his gift, but that was largely because until just recently his parents thought he was making it up, and they hadn't wanted to advertise their child’s “problems” to the rest of the family. Besides, even if they did tell their extended family, it wasn’t like they would believe them. 

“Okay, so where is this camp counselor that’s supposed to be picking us up?” Coraline asked with her hands on her hips. 

“We’re already late,” Wybie pointed out while grabbing his suitcase from the large compartment on the side of the bus. His suitcase was the largest out everyone's. “I thought the counselor would be waiting for us.”

Norman noticed two other kids who had been on the bus with them grabbing their bags as well. They both looked about a year younger than him. The boy had on a hat with strange goggles on the top and the girl had reddish-brown hair that was tied into two pigtails and an expression that could kill. Suddenly, the girl looked up at Norman and he quickly looked away. 

Norman, Coraline, Wybie and Neil waited at the bus station for another minute and it quickly became clear that the other two kids weren’t leaving. It seemed they were all waiting for the same thing and the two younger kids seemed to realize this too. 

“Hey,” the kid with the googles said as he dragged his small suitcase over to them and the angry looking girl followed close behind him. “Are you guys going to Grunkle Stan’s Summer Camp too?”

Coraline frowned, but nodded. “Yeah, if the counselor ever shows up.”

“Well, I’m Raz and this is my girlfriend Lili-”

“I can introduce myself, Raz,” Lili said with a scowl. 

Norman wondered why the girl was so angry. Her boyfriend was just being polite; however, the boy didn’t seem put off by her aggression. 

“Well, I’m Coraline- not Caroline, Coraline, make sure you get it right- and this is my friend Wybie, my cousin Norman and his friend Neil.” Coraline pointed to each of them. 

“Nice to meet you guys. Do any of you know anything about this camp? Have you been here before?” Raz asked. 

The four of them shook their head. 

“Nah, our parents just needed some place to dump us for the summer. Yours too, I’m guessing?” Coraline asked. 

“Something like that,” Raz agreed. 

Before anything else could be said, they were interrupted by the honking of a horn. A large white van pulled up to the side of the street and an older man with a suit and a fez stepped out with a disgruntled look on his face. 

The door on the side of the van opened and two kids around Norman’s age stepped out. They had the same brown hair, brown eyes, and similar-looking features. They were obviously siblings, and very likely twins. 

“Grunkle Stan,” the brown-haired boy asked suspiciously. “Did you steal this van?”

“What? Of course not!” the man denied gruffly. “I just borrowed it for a little while. It won’t even be missed. My car doesn’t have enough seats for all of our campers.”

The strange man turned to the six kids at the bus station and cleared his throat before addressing them.

“Welcome campers!” he began. “I’m camp counselor Stan, director of Grunkle Stan’s Summer Camp!” 

“You’ve got to be kidding me…” Coraline breathed. 

“We’re going to have a fun summer full of activities, but before we get started, do any of you kids know the labor laws for minors in Oregon? No? Okay, great! Everyone into the van!”

The six kids glanced at each other. 

“What are you kids waiting for, time is money!” The counselor said as he held the van door open for them.

“We’re really supposed to believe you’re a camp counselor?” Coraline asked skeptically. 

“‘Course I am! Right kids?”

“Nope, I’m not getting into this. I want full deniability,” the brown-haired boy said as he crossed his arms. 

“Of course he is!” the girl agreed emphatically. “If by counselor you mean someone who can counsel- and by that I mean give advice, even if it’s bad advice. And if by camp you mean a cabin in the middle of the woods! Then Grunkle Stan is totally a camp counselor!”

The fake counselor slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. “Oy, why do I keep you two around again?”

“Because we’re your family and you love us!” Mabel supplied in a sing-song voice. 

“Well, that’s it,” Coraline said, turning on her heels. “I’m getting back on the bus.”

“Sure, sure, you could do that,” the camp counselor said in a lazy tone as he examined his fingernails. “I’ll just make sure I get a message to your parents explaining how you ran away from camp.”

Coraline’s eyes widened as she spun around to face the man. “What?”

“You can’t just leave camp without your camp counselor’s permission,” Stan explained. “You leave and you’ll be explaining to your parents and the cops why you ran away from camp.”

Coraline narrowed her eyes. “Then I’ll just call them and tell them how shady this camp is.”

Stan shrugged. “Go ahead, I won’t stop you, but I have your parent’s numbers too. I might just have to call them and tell them about all the camp property you’ve destroyed. You also shouldn’t have stolen my car and gone joy riding. That’s against the law, you know.”

“What! But I-” Coraline spluttered and then she caught the amused look on the man’s face. “Oh, you’re good,” Coraline complimented. “But I’m not stupid,” Coraline said with a devious smirk of her own. “No real camp counselor blackmails their campers with fake crimes to get them to stay. I’m pretty sure you don’t want cops sniffing around here.”

Stan’s face fell only slightly, but then he quickly recovered and let out a short laugh. 

“Sure, go ahead, kid,” he said nonchalantly. “And don’t worry, the local cops are fully competent at their jobs, I assure you.”

The underlying sarcastic tone in the fake counselor's voice made Norman’s heart sink. 

“I don’t think we have much of a choice, Jonsey,” Wybie cut in.

Coraline raised an eyebrow at her friend. “You can’t be serious.”

Wybie shrugged. “I mean, yeah, this place is a total scam but what else can we do?”

Coraline looked back at the bus and then back at the fake camp counselor. “Oh fine,” she relented with a sigh. “I guess I can at least see this camp. But I’m not staying because of your stupid threats,” Coraline shot back to the counselor. “If anything happens we’ll call our parents and-”

“Great! Into the van, kids!” Their camp counselor urged, completely ignoring Coraline. 

“I think I heard about this on the news once,” Neil whispered into Norman’s ear. “It was about an axe murderer who tricked a bunch of kids into his van and then drove them deep into the woods where he picked them off one by one.”

Norman raised an eyebrow at his friend. “I don't think he’s an axe murderer. He doesn’t really seem dangerous,” he whispered back. Weird yes, but this camp seemed more like a way to scam their parents out of their money than a plot to kill them all. 

Neil shook his head. “That’s the thing, they never do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coraline, you can’t out con a conman. Who do you think you are? Mabel Pines?
> 
> My tumblr: [ mysterykidscasefiles.](http://mysterykidscasefiles.tumblr.com/)


	6. Chapter 4: The Mystery Hack

The car ride had been uncomfortable for Lili Zanotto. She wasn’t a big fan of people in general, so to be stuck in a car with eight people at once was a nightmare (and being a psychic, Lili knew a lot about nightmares).

The only person who she didn’t mind being there was her partner, Raz. Raz was currently listening to the other children talk, his back was leaning against the backrest, his shoulder barely touching hers. She had a feeling he would be the only one making this undercover situation bearable for as long as they were stuck in Gravity Falls.

The girl in the bright pink sweater named Mabel Pines introduced herself and her twin brother to everyone. Mabel asked everyone's names and seemed to commit them to memory immediately. She explained how Gravity Falls was ‘ _so much fun’_ and how they were all _‘going to have a great time together!’_

Lili disliked the girl immediately.

“Hey, uhh… didn’t you come here with a cat?” she heard her boyfriend ask Coraline. Lili remembered that the girl did have a cat on the bus, but now it was nowhere to be seen.  

The girl with blue hair shrugged. “Yeah, but he comes and goes as he pleases. He’ll probably show up again sometime.”

“Oh my gosh! You have a cat? I love cats!” Mabel gushed. “I have a pet named Waddles! I can’t wait for you guys to meet him!”

Lili rolled her eyes. As much as Lili didn’t like people, she was even less a fan of peppy, talkative people.

They soon arrived at an old shack with the words Mystery Hack on top. Lili could still see the fallen ‘S’ that was supposed to spell Shack.

“Mystery Hack, huh? That inspires confidence,” Coraline said sarcastically as she pulled her suitcase out of the van.

“Welcome to camp boys and girls!” their counselor announced in what was supposed to be an enthusiastic camp counselor voice, but he sounded more like a sleazy salesman. “Mabel and Dipper will show you to the guest room.”

“Wait, they’re staying in _that_ room?” Dipper asked the counselor. “But I thought Soos was using that room for his break room.”

“Well, of course they’re staying in that room!” Stan answered. “What? You want them in the attic with you two instead? Besides, Soos barely uses that room anyway.”

“That’s because you never let him take breaks,” Dipper mumbled to himself.

“Come on, guys!” Mabel exclaimed. “Let’s get you unpacked!”

Mabel and her brother lead them into the Shack and they were immediately greeted with a cluttered gift shop.

“This is the gift shop part of the shack. There is another entrance in the back and a main entrance that leads to the museum where our Grunkle Stan gives tours when we’re open,” Mabel explained.

“Seriously? Fifteen dollars for this little plastic key chain?” Wybie asked as he picked up the yellow trinket to examine it further. “Who would buy that?”

“Hey, you touch the merchandise you buy it,” Stan snapped.

Wybie quickly put down the keychain and Coraline glared up at the man.

“Isn’t it usually you break it you buy it?” Coraline challenged.

“Not around here it isn’t.” Stan said as he turned to the twins. “You two keep them out of trouble, would you?”

“No guarantees, Grunkle Stan!” Mabel said in a sing-song voice, and then she turned to face them with a bright, braces-filled smile. “Come on, it’s this way.”

Mabel lead them through the ‘employees only’ door and down the hall passed the staircase.

“So... how long have you guys been here at this, umm, camp?” Neil asked the two twins as he dragged his suitcase through the hall.

“If it can even be called a camp,” Coraline interjected. “I can’t believe that guy scammed our parents like that and tricked them into thinking that they were sending us to a real camp.”

“He’s our great uncle,” Dipper explained. “We are staying with him for the summer, and yeah, that’s pretty much what happened.”

“This is so illegal,” Lili commented. “He’s lucky we don’t just call child services.”

 _We can’t do that Lili! If there’s no summer camp then our undercover story doesn’t work,_ Raz told her telepathically.

Lili scowled to herself.

 _Duh, Raz, I know that,_ she thought back to him, _but do you really think these kids aren’t going to at least call their parents about this camp eventually? Especially that blue-haired girl._

 _So we have to make sure they don’t,_ Raz urged her. _We have to convince them to stay._

Lili sighed. Great, a plan like that required being friendly and socializing with the other kids. She wasn’t big on making friends, but it seemed like their mission was dependent on everyone getting along. One call to a parent and the fake camp would be busted and they might not be able to find a new cover.

However, getting along with people was Raz’s area of expertise, not hers. He was a performer. He knew how to make sure people were having a good time.

“Well, here is your guys’ room,” Dipper said as he opened the rather impressive ornate, wooden door with a key. “Sorry, there’s no bed.”

“And the carpet had to be removed,” Mabel interjected, earning a warning look from her brother. “But you guys are better off without that old thing, _trust me_.”

“Wow, this room is really neat!” Neil exclaimed as he pulled his suitcase in behind him.

It was an old wooden room with floors that creaked and windows that would let more cold air in than it did sunlight. There was an ugly orange couch and an open space on the hard floor. The shelves were filled with creepy trinkets and strange pictures that were left to gather dust. It was as if this room hadn't been touched in decades.

Six kids were going to have to share this one room? It was small for two people let alone six. Lili would have no privacy. This was shaping up to be the worst mission ever.

“This is it?” Coraline asked. “We’re all expected to share this one room? What about the cabins? The lake? The dining hall? Everything it said in the brochure? Not that I’m surprised, but haven’t you ever heard of false advertising?”

“We have a lake!” Mabel assured her. “We can take you guys to it! And our kitchen is kind of like a dining hall.”

“And the cabins?” Wybie asked.

“To be fair, the brochure promised a rustic cabin experience,” Dipper said. “And this place is pretty rustic.”

“There are tons of fun things to do in Gravity Falls!” Mabel assured them. “It’s better than any camp you’ve ever been to, I promise!”

“Maybe it’s not anything like most summer camps,” Raz interjected suddenly, causing the other kids to turn to him. “And maybe it is a scam, but who knows, maybe this town will be fun? Those two seem to like it here.” He nodded to the twins. “And I don’t know about you guys, but I really have nothing better to do at home. We might as well just make the best of it here.”

Coraline seemed to be considering Raz’s words, and Lili had to admit Raz had been pretty smooth.

_Raz is so cute when he’s saving the day… Oh shoot! Did I-?_

Raz’s cocky grin in her direction said it all.

_Stop reading my mind, you jerk!_

_Stop thinking so loudly about me and I will,_ he answered back telepathically.

Coraline looked at Wybie for his opinion and he shrugged.

“I don’t see why not, Jonesy. What are we going to do back home anyway? We already explored that place to death. Maybe this new place will be fun?”

Coraline seemed to be considering her friends words as she turned to Norman. “What do you think, Norman?”

“M-me?” Norman asked, stuttering slightly in surprise.

“Our parents sent us to camp together so I’m guessing we have to leave together,” Coraline explained. “I’ve honestly been pretty bored at home, so I really don’t want to go back, but I also don’t want to stay at a fake camp if it’s going to be just as boring. So what do you think we should do?”

Norman glanced at Neil who nodded encouragingly.

“I guess we could give this place a try. If it ends up being really boring then we can just call our parents tomorrow, right?” Norman suggested diplomatically.

“Alright, fine,” Coraline agreed with a nod. “We’ll stay for now.”

“Yay! You’re going to have the best time!” Mabel threw her arms around the Norman’s neck, causing him to freeze in place. “Come on! Me and Dipper are going to show you guys around town!” Mabel announced loudly in Norman’s ear.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, in the beginning Lili really doesn’t like Mabel… but to be fair, there are very few people that she does like. 
> 
> My tumblr: [ mysterykidscasefiles.](http://mysterykidscasefiles.tumblr.com/)


	7. Chapter 5: Fake Psychics

“Bye Grunkle Stan!” Mabel shouted as she and her brother lead their guests out of the house. “We’re going to show everyone around town!”

“Wait a minute!” Stan called. He stuck his head out into the hall. “You can’t leave! I need all of you to make some new attractions for the Shack! I-I mean, I have an arts and crafts project planned! That’s what summer camps do, right?”

Mabel stopped in her tracks, causing her brother to slam into her.

“Ow! Mabel!”

“Arts and crafts?” she asked eagerly, a grin beginning to spread across her face.

Her brother placed his hands on her shoulders. “Mabel, it’s just a trap to make us do work,” he said as he continued to steer her out the shack door.

“Yes but… arts and crafts…”Mabel whimpered.

Stan sighed. “Fine, whatever, you kids can do it later. Oh, and don’t lose them in the woods or something. If they go missing I’m moving to Canada before the police can catch up with me!”

“Will do, Grunkle Stan,” Dipper assured him distractedly as he finally managed to drag Mabel out of the shack and away from the lure of art projects.

“What did he mean attractions for the Shack?” Neil asked as the eight of them headed down the dirt road.

“The Mystery Shack is supposed to have all the mysteries of Gravity Falls on display,” Dipper explained. “Or at least, that’s what he tells the tourists. They’re all fake, though, and he usually has Mabel and I make new attractions when business is slow.”

“People really fall for that?” Lili asked.

Dipper shrugged. “I don’t understand it, but tourists keep coming. It’s almost like they want to be tricked.”

“If the tourists think the height of entertainment in this town is your uncle’s shack then I think my summer is doomed,” Coraline said.

“Don’t worry, it’s more exciting here than you would think,” Mabel offered and Wybie didn’t miss the way Dipper shot her a glare. “This town might surprise you.”

“What do you mean by that?” Raz asked. “Have you guys seen anything unusual in this town recently?”

Dipper’s eyebrows shot up at the question. “No…” he answered cautiously. “At least nothing more unusual than our great uncle and the shack.” Dipper’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Why do you ask?”

Raz waved the question off with his hand. “Oh, no reason.”

Wybie had to admit that Raz’s question was a little strange and out of place, but Dipper’s reaction had been even weirder.

“That’s too bad,” Coraline said as she kicked the ground. “I could do with an adventure.”

The twins lead them around town, and Mabel seemed to enjoy her role as tour guide. They passed the shops, the police station, the water tower and even the arcade, but no one had any money with them so they didn’t stop and play. It didn’t take long for them to get through the entire town. The place was pretty small.

Wybie could tell Coraline was not impressed, but he thought the town was pretty cool. He wondered what kind of spiders and slugs he could find here. They weren’t that far from his home in Ashland, so maybe he would find some of the same species.

As they passed a laser tag place and a few more shops, a poster in a store window caught Wybie’s attention. It looked like some kind of entertainer. Maybe there was something fun to do in this town after all?

“Hey, look at this!” he called everyone over.

“Gideon?” Coraline asked. “Child psychic? Is this for real?”

“Ugh,” Mabel groaned. “Gideon.” Her dislike for the boy seemed to leave a sour taste in her mouth as she wrinkled her nose. “I hate that guy.”

“Don’t waste your time on that show guys,” Dipper told them. “Gideon is a complete fake. Not to mention a total nutjob. He’s basically our worst enemy.”

“You don’t believe in psychics?” Raz asked.

Dipper shrugged. “Maybe there are real psychics, I don’t know, but that guy definitely isn’t one of them. Trust us.”

“Just like how your uncle’s Mystery Shack isn’t real?” Coraline asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, yeah…” Dipper admitted. “Stan’s a conman but-”

“But Grunkle Stan is different,“ Mabel explained. "Plus, he didn’t try and kill us.”

Everyone seemed to do a double take at that.

“Wait, kill you?” Lili asked, suddenly interested.

“She doesn’t mean that literally!” Dipper rushed. “She just means that Gideon is a pretty nasty guy.”

Mabel crossed her arms. “That’s putting it lightly.”

“Okay well, I’m not wasting my money to see a show by some fake psychic, so that’s out,” Coraline stated.

“What are we going to do now?” Neil asked.

“Let’s go to the lake!” Mabel suggested brightly. “It’s still pretty warm and dinner won’t be for a few hours. You all brought your swimsuits in your luggage, right?”

“Yeah! That sounds awesome!” Neil agreed. “What do you think, Norman?”

Neil turned to his friend but Norman didn’t seem to be paying attention. Instead, he was staring off to his left at nothing.  

“Hey, Norman?” Neil tried again patiently.

“H-Huh?” Norman asked, bringing his attention back to the group who were all staring at him curiously.

“Space out there, Cuz?” Coraline asked in a teasing voice.

Norman blushed. “Y-Yeah… s-sorry. What were you guys saying?”

“We wanted to go to the lake after we headed back to the Shack to get our swimsuits. That sound good to you?” Coraline asked.

Norman nodded. “Sure, that sounds like fun.”

Wybie glanced at the two eleven-year-olds. “What’s wrong?” he asked after noticing the uncomfortable look on Raz’s face.

Lili bit her lip and looked over at Raz. Suddenly, Raz snapped out of his thoughts. He looked taken aback to see everyone looking at him, but he smiled widely and gave a lazy shrug of his shoulders. “Oh, nothing’s wrong. That’s fine with me,” he said.

Lili, however, didn’t look so confident.

After a short detour back to the Shack to put their swimsuits on under their clothes, the eight kids headed to the lake.

Coraline and Mabel were first in the water, but Dipper and Norman stood on the muddy edge of the lake with the water up to their ankles, just getting used to the water before going in further.

Wybie watched as Neil came up behind Norman, and before the boy got any sort of warning, Neil landed a well-placed splash straight at Norman’s face.

“Ha! Got you!” Neil cried triumphantly.

Norman laughed. “Neil!” he shouted and attempted to splash his friend back. Dipper shrunk away from the water fight and watched them carry on in amusement.

“Dipping Sauce, you better get your butt all the way in here before I come out and drag you in myself!” Mabel warned forcefully.

Dipper gave her an exasperated look, but made his way towards his sister with little reluctance. Wybie wondered if Dipper knew from experience that Mabel would make good on her threat.

Wybie dug through the bag he brought and pulled a pair of goggles. He had made them himself and they had a flashlight on the side in addition to a night vision setting and an underwater camera.

When he was ready, Wybie headed into the lake, quickly becoming a member of the and the game of marco polo Coraline was orchestrating. It wasn’t until the game was about to begin, did Wybie realize they were two members short.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, even though this takes place in the middle of the second season Gideon is not in jail. The story will explain why soon. 
> 
> Also, on my tumblr I had people send me some prompts and I wrote some Mystery Kids drabbles (they take place after this fic, but the spoilers are minimum and pretty vague). So if you are in need of more Mystery Kids in your life you can check that out. I probably won’t put the drabbles on this site unless I end up making a full story out of one of them. My tumblr is [ mysterykidscasefiles.](http://mysterykidscasefiles.tumblr.com/)


	8. Chapter 6: Marco Polo

Raz settled on the grassy lakeside as he watched the other kids wade deeper and deeper into the lake. Raz was wearing his new, and his very first, pair of swim trunks. He had bought them specifically for this mission, but they were just for show, since he had no intention of going into the water.

Lili sat next to him. Her bathing suit was on underneath her clothes, but she looked as interested in swimming with the other kids as he did. However, they had a mission to complete which required them to keep up appearances, and they weren’t going to fit in with the other kids if they didn’t interact with them.

“You should join them,” Raz suggested, nodding to the other kids. “This is a good chance to make friends with them. They might know more than they’re letting on and they’re not going to tell us if we act like strangers.”

“You think they’re hiding something?” Lili clarified, dropping her voice a little lower so they couldn’t be overheard by Wybie who was searching through his bag for something before he ran to join the other kids.

Raz shrugged. “Maybe. I get the feeling that Dipper isn’t telling us the whole truth and that Norman kid…” Raz trailed off.

Lili leaned towards him conspiratorially. “You feel it too?” she asked eagerly. “I thought it was just me, but there is something off about Norman. I just can’t get my mind around it.”

Raz nodded. “Yeah, exactly! Something’s just… off. It’s like… I’m having a hard time sensing him,“ Raz admitted in embarrassment.

Even the most novice psychics could sense living beings, and it was more than a little humiliating to admit he was having difficulty with such an easy task. Every living creature was made up of energy and any psychic could sense that energy. There were some psychics, like Lili, who could even read the energy of plants, but that was a rare gift.  

Lili’s eyes lit up. "Yeah, I am having a hard time with that too. It’s so strange.”

“I can sense him a bit,” Raz considered slowly, “but I have to try really hard. It’s almost like… he’s a ghost to me. Even when he’s right in front of me it’s like he’s not there, or faded somehow. I’ve never met anyone like that. Could he be psychic and just hiding it?”

Lili shrugged. “Maybe. There are psychic powers that allow people to suppress their energy. Kind of like invisibility, but for your aura. But if that’s what he’s trying to do then he’s not doing it right.”

“Maybe he doesn’t realize he’s psychic?” Raz suggested. “That’s possible, right?”

“I guess. He could have a small amount of psychic ability that will probably never develop into real powers.”

“Well, we should probably keep an eye on him, just in case.“

Lili nodded in agreement. There was a moment of silence between them and Raz looked over at his girlfriend curiously.

"So, are you going to join the other kids?” he asked.

She gave him a dry look. “No, making friends and keeping our cover is your job,” Lili said without even a moment of deliberation. “I’m going to focus on finding the source of the psychic disturbance.”

Raz rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess we can do it that way, but don’t you think you should try and get to know them too?”

Lili sighed and tilted her head to look up at the sky. “Raz, I don’t think you get it. I’m not going to be able to make these kids like me, even if I wanted to, and believe me, I don’t.”

“Why not?”

Lili looked over at him. “Because even when I’m hiding my powers, Normals always avoid me.”

Raz frowned and tilted his head in confusion.

Lili sighed. “Maybe you’ve never experienced this because from the way you talk about the circus it sounds like it’s filled odd people, but a lot of psychics have trouble fitting in with Normals.”

“I guess that’s sort of true,” Raz admitted. “It is harder for people with psychic abilities, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. I get along with my circus family, even the ones that aren’t actually related to me, and they’re Normals.”

“Did you,” she paused. “Did you just refer to your circus family as normal?” Lili asked in amusement. “You told me about your uncle Gruff. What he can do… that is _not_ normal.”

Raz chuckled. “Okay, not the best example, but you get my point.”

“It’s different for you, Raz. You’re good with people,” Lili explained. “You know how to get people to like you.”

“Just throwing this out there, but maybe you would have better luck with people if you didn’t look like you were going to set fire to every person who tries to talk to you,” Raz suggested with a grin.

“I do have a talent for scaring people off,” Lili hummed in agreement, seemingly very pleased with herself. “But that’s not what I’m talking about.” She paused and looked down at the ground, considering her next words carefully. “Years ago in school, I did try to make friends with Normals. That was back when I thought I actually needed friends.” Lili shrugged. “I suppose I’m lucky that it didn’t work out. I would have probably gone crazy if I had to listen to their stupidity every day.”

“Lili…” Raz began suddenly troubled. “Just because it didn’t work out before doesn’t mean you can’t make friends now.”

“Oh, don’t give me that,” Lili scolded. “You think I want those stuck up kids at my school talking to me? No thanks. I like being left alone, you know that.”

“But what happened back then? If you were actually trying to be their friend, I don’t understand why they wouldn’t like you,” Raz said.

Lili shrugged. “It’s not important. If you really want to know, then just ask any psychic who tried to make friends with Normals. Ask Dogen or Bobby; eventually, all the stories start sounding the same. For the most part, it’s best if we stick to our own kind.”

Raz had never thought of the world in such black and white terms as Normals and non-Normals before, but could he really blame Lili for thinking that way? Lili was the daughter of the Psychonauts Grand Chairman; she was surrounded by powerful psychics her whole life, and she was trained by personal tutors when she started developing powers at a very young age. Her whole world was filled with psychics. Her only exposure to Normals were the kids and pre-teens at her private school. Raz had never been to a school before, but from what he had heard, it was not always a friendly place. Even Normals didn’t feel like they fit in there, so how was a psychic supposed to feel?

“My point is that Normals actually like you. You can fit in with them where other psychics can’t. And if you hadn’t noticed, I don’t even get along with the other psychic kids at camp, and if I can’t even get along with other psychics, Normals are out of the question. Besides,” Lili said with a shrug as she looked over at the group of children in the water. “I already don’t like them. I think it’s best you handle the ‘friendship aspect’ of this mission.”

Raz chuckled. “Yeah, but you don’t like anyone,” he clarified.

Lili smirked and scooted a little closer. “Now, that’s not completely true…”

They shared a kiss between them, goofy smiles lingering on their faces as they parted. It wasn’t exactly professional for two agents to show this kind of affection when on a mission. On the other hand, they were undercover as boyfriend and girlfriend at a summer camp. One could argue that it was their duty to kiss and act like lovesick children. They definitely weren’t complaining.

“What do you think of that Gideon guy in the flier?” Raz asked when the moment between them passed.

Lili scoffed. “There are tons of fake psychics in this world. My dad says that the psychics that showboat their powers for money or fame are usually always fake.”

“True,” Raz agreed. “But on the other hand, there is nothing wrong with putting on a good performance.” He flashed her a grin.

Lili punched him lightly in the chest. “You would say that, you clown!”

Raz faked an offended gasp. “Was that a jab at my circus heritage?” he asked, trying to hide his grin. “I can’t believe my own girlfriend would mock me!”

Lili laughed and punched him again, which he blocked it playfully. “Really? You didn’t think I would mock you?” she asked. “Do you even know me at all?”

Raz laughed. “You’re right, silly me. What was I thinking?”

Raz watched as a smile started not on her lips, but behind her eyes, causing the corners of her eyes to crinkle before it worked its way down to her lips, pulling them upwards. Lili looked away, and began playing with the end of one of her pigtails. She bit her lips to tame her smile, but he could still see the remnants of it shining brightly behind her eyes.

Raz heard the other kids shout something to each other, and he looked up to see them swimming carelessly in the water. Sometimes Raz would feel jealous over other people’s ability to swim, but today he felt none of that. He was exactly where he wanted to be.

“If we don’t have any good leads by tomorrow we’ll check out that Gideon guy,” Lili said suddenly, causing Raz’s gaze to return to her. She was back to business but he could tell she was in a much better mood. “It’s probably a dead end, but that thing Mabel said about him makes me suspicious. You usually don’t say someone tried to kill you unless they actually tried to kill you.”

“Yeah, that’s a good point,” Raz agreed thoughtfully.

“Hey Raz! Lili!” Mabel called loudly from the water. “What are you still doing on land? Come play with us!”

“Ugh, speak of the devil,” Lili groaned.

“Come on, Lili, she’s not that bad.”

Lili crossed her arms. “When you go to a school full of screeching, boy-band crazed pre-teen girls, then come talk to me. She’s going to drive me crazy by the end of the- Oh great,” Lili exclaimed. “Now she’s coming over here!”

Mabel and the rest of the group waded their way closer to the lakeside. They stopped when the water was around their stomach and they were close enough that they could talk to each other without shouting.

“Aren’t you guys coming in the water?” Mabel asked. “We were just going to start a game.”

“We don’t feel like it,” Lili answered tersely. Raz squeezed her arm gently. He knew what she was doing. She was trying to save him an explanation, but she didn’t need to.

“Actually, Lili was just keeping me company,” Raz explained. “I, umm… I can’t swim,” he admitted. He felt like an idiot saying that. Raz was a competent athlete. He knew he would easily be able to learn to swim if it wasn’t for his curse.

Mabel’s eyes widened. “You can’t swim?” She looked visibly dismayed by this piece of information.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Dipper asked. “We could have done something else.”

Raz shook his head. “No, that’s okay. You all wanted to swim. Besides, it’s nice out here.”

“But you guys don’t have to sit way over there on the shore. You can at least sit on the rocks over here, right?” Mabel asked hopefully. “That way we can all still hang out together.”

Raz’s stomach twisted uncomfortably at the idea. The rocks Mabel was referring to were jutting out from the shore only a few feet away from where the other kids were standing. Raz wouldn’t have to walk through water to get to the rocks, but the edge of the rocks leaned out precariously over the water.

Lili seemed to sense his reluctance.

_You don’t have to,_ her worried voice sounded in his mind.

Raz gave her a small smile.

_I went to the bottom of the lake at camp looking for you when you were kidnapped. I survived that, I think I can survive this,_ he told her telepathically and he could swear her face was a lot redder than it had been a few seconds ago.

Raz and Lili made their way across the rocks to the very edge of the water. The stones were smooth from being worn away by the lake and Lili had mumbled a few unfriendly things under her breath when she almost slipped on one of them. When they stopped at the edge of the rocks, Lili sat down and swung her legs over the side, allowing her feet to dangle just over the water. Raz sat down cross-legged on top of the same large rock. He didn’t want to give his curse any excuse to reach up and pull him in by his ankle.

“Okay, can we start our game now?” Coraline asked.

Raz and Lili obviously couldn’t play, but Lili found enjoyment in being the appointed referee:

“You’re out, Blue! Yes, I’m talking to you, girly. Sweater-girl got your foot.”

“Seriously, you should have called fish-out-of-water for that round. Norman was out the entire time. You just couldn’t hear him.”

“Are those goggles on Wybie cheating or a fair advantage? Raz, you’re a goggle man, what’s your call?”

“Norman, no helping Neil when he’s it. You guys can’t team up like that. This is a ruthless game, people!”

The game of marco polo ended with the discovery that Wybie could hold his breath for a freakishly long time, and everyone was so frustrated with his ability to avoid being tagged, that they ended up gaining up on him so the person who was it, who happened to be Dipper, could finally tag him.

Breathing hard from the exertion of the game, Mabel turned to look up at Raz and Lili. “You know, you could come in if you want.” Mabel indicated to the water, which only went up to her stomach. “You can touch the bottom here so you won’t have to swim, and if something did happen, one of us could help you.”

“That’s okay, I’d rather not,” Raz declined politely.

Mabel cocked her head to the side. “Come on, the lake is so much fun! You should at least give it a try! At least go up to your knees!” Mabel insisted.

“Are you stupid? Raz said he didn’t want to go,” Lili barked and Mabel flinched back, stunned.  

“Hey!” Dipper shouted indignantly as he approached the commotion. “You can’t talk to my sister like that!”

“Well, tell your sister, the princess of La La Land, to mind her own business!” Lili countered angrily.

“You don’t need be so mean,” Mabel defended, her voice full of confusion and hurt. “I just wanted you and Raz to have fun with us.”

“Seriously, back off Lili,” Coraline ordered. “She wasn’t doing anything wrong. You don’t need to freak out.”

Raz could feel Lili steaming and for a moment he was sure the water was going to start boiling.

_Calm down, Lils, we need these people to like us, remember?_  He tried telepathically.

_It’s too late for that, Raz,_ Lili snapped mentally as she got to her feet. She glared down at the other kids.

_Come on, Lili, for the sake the mission,_ Raz pleaded. _Please?_

At first, Lili hadn’t seemed to ignore him, but then Raz watched as Lili’s shoulders began to relax, even if the scowl never left her face.

“Whatever,” she said at last, as she turned away from the kids towards the shore. “This is stupid. It’s getting cold anyway, we should go back.”

Without waiting for a response, Lili made her way across the rocks and back to the grassy shore.

“Lili didn’t mean that,” Raz said as soon as she was out of earshot. “I’ve just had some bad experiences with water so she was trying to protect me. That’s just the only way she knows how.”

Mabel, who was kneeling in the shallow water until it came up to her chin, looked up at him with a guilty expression. “I wasn’t trying to make you do anything you didn’t want to do,” Mabel explained. “I just wanted you two to have fun.”

“It’s okay, I know. And I was having fun,” Raz said. “Lili too, I think.” In fact, when Lili was presiding over the game as judge, she looked like she was having a genuinely good time, even though she was amongst the ‘Normals’ that she insisted would never like her. “Listen, I know Lili can be a little rough around the edges-”

“That’s putting it mildly,” Dipper said, still frowning after the girl.

“But she just needs some time to get to know you,” Raz explained.

“Don’t worry, Raz, I’m sure I can get Lili to like all of us!” Mabel assured him.

Raz looked at the girl in surprise. She seemed very confident about that, despite the fact that Lili had just yelled at her just moments ago.

“I’ll just have to bury her with niceness and friendship,” Mabel explained, “and then she will have no choice but to love us! No one would be able to resist that!”

“Maybe you would have better luck if you didn’t say creepy thing like that?” Wybie said. “Just a suggestion.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My tumblr: [ mysterykidscasefiles.](http://mysterykidscasefiles.tumblr.com/)


	9. Chapter 7: Haunted House

Neil scooted over a few inches to make room for Raz as the boy sat down next to him on the carpet. The eight kids made a semicircle around the TV, which was playing a quirky show about a duck detective. In the middle of the half circle was Dipper and Mabel’s great uncle who was sitting in the living room’s only chair shamelessly wearing a white tank top and boxers.

“It was awesome of Dipper and Mabel to convince their uncle to buy pizza for us,” Raz commented in a low voice. “I was starving.”

“Me too,” Neil agreed. “But I think it was Mabel who did most of the negotiating.” After seeing her in action, Neil suspected that girl could fast talk her great uncle into anything.

Raz nodded with a grin.

When show ended, Stan stood up and Neil winced as the man’s back made loud cracking sounds. Stan grumbled something unintelligible before heading towards the kitchen. When Stan passed by his great niece and nephew, who were sitting on the floor eating their last piece of pizza, he leaned down, and before either of the two kids noticed, he pushed Dipper’s hat down over his eyes and rustled Mabel’s hair, causing it into fall into her face.

“Hey!” Dipper protested in annoyance. 

“Grunkle Stan!” Mabel complained as she tried to fix her hair.

Stan was laughing all the way to the kitchen. The twin shot disgruntled looks in their great uncles direction, but Neil could see mild amusement hidden underneath the annoyed expressions.

When Dipper readjusted his cap, he looked over at the other kids.

“So, where are you guys from anyway?” he asked.

“Yeah!” Mabel chimed in. “Let’s get to know each other!” Mabel’s pig- Neil still couldn’t believe she was lucky enough to owned a pet pig- oinked in response and she scratched him behind his ears. “Waddles wants to get to know you too!”

“I’m from Michigan originally,” Coraline said. “But over a year ago my family moved to Ashland, Oregon, and that’s when I met Wybie.” She nodded to her friend.

“And me and Norman are from Blithe Hollow, Massachusetts,” Neil said.

Dipper’s eyes widened. “I’ve heard of that place! Didn’t the witch hunts in Salem extend to Blithe Hollow?”

Neil could feel Norman shift uncomfortably beside him.

“Yeah, it did,” Norman said.

“That’s awesome!” Dipper gushed. “I bet that town is full of interesting history and stuff!”

“If you’re okay with your town being famous for the murder of a bunch of innocent people, then I guess.”

Dipper looked around at the others awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, but that happened a long time ago right?”

Norman shrugged.

“Oh lighten up, Cuz,” Coraline said as she elbowed his arm. “You might get tired of hearing about the witch hunts because you live so close to Salem, but other people don’t.”

“What about you two?” Mabel asked Raz and Lili. “Where are you guys from?”

“I’m from the east coast,” Lili said simply.

“And my family travels a lot,” Raz said. “So I’m from all over.”

“And you guys came all the way over here for camp?” Coraline asked. “Why would you do that? It’s not like it’s a well known camp… or even a camp at all.”

“Well, technically Norman and Neil came from pretty far too,” Dipper pointed out.

“Yeah, but there’s a reason for that,” Coraline explained. “My mom got the brochure for this camp in the mail and she thought it would be a good idea if I went and if I brought my cousin along too.” Coraline looked over at Raz and Lili. “What possessed the two of you to come to this camp?”

“Raz and I met last summer at a summer camp,” Lili supplied quickly, surprising Neil. She hadn’t been talking more than she had to since the lake. “We wanted to go to camp again this summer, but I was already bored of the last one we went to. Raz’s family was living near Oregon when he heard of this one and so I flew over for the summer.”

Mabel’s eyes grew wide. “You met at a summer camp?” she asked in awe. “See! This is what I’m talking about! Epic summer romances! I had it all wrong, I need to start going to summer camp!”

Her brother rolled his eyes.

“That’s still pretty far to travel,” Dipper noted.

Lili shrugged. “It wasn’t a problem-mphhh!” The girl immediately closed her mouth and let out a muffled screech as she was assaulted by a large, pink animal. Lili struggled to push Waddle’s off of her as he continued to lick her face. “Get this thing off of me!” she yelled.

Beside her, Raz was useless to help because he was overtaken by sudden debilitating laughter. He rolled on his back and clenched his sides.

“Aquato, I swear-” She was cut off by Waddle’s second attempt to lick her face.

“Aww, he just really loves you,” Mabel assured her. “Or you had pizza sauce on your face. One of the two.”

Dipper stood up to help the girl, but she managed to push the pig off of her without assistance. Neil noted that the girl was much stronger than she looked.

Lili glared at Waddles, who looked up at her expectantly. “Someone is going to be smoked ham in a second if they don’t get out of my face,” she threatened. “And someone else is going to be punched in the gut if they don’t stop laughing this instant.” Lili turned on her boyfriend who managed to muffle his laughter just in time.

“S-Sorry, Lili,” Raz apologized, still only barely holding back his laughter. Lili’s frown deepened, and Raz made a better effort to look apologetic.

Dipper managed lure Waddles away from the angry girl with a pizza crust, and the pig happily ate his reward next to Mabel.

“Sorry about that…” Dipper began, but his apology fell away as the news broadcast caught his attention.

“Do ghosts really exist?” the news reporter asked. “Tune in tonight at eight as we bring you a breaking news report on what appears to be a ghostly haunting. 521 Maple Street, owned by the Cardinal family, was evacuated today as the reconstruction crew fled the mansion with screams of terror. The mansion was recently abandoned after the unexplained fire a week ago which killed Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal’s son, Luis Cardinal. The Cardinals, now living across town, wanted to restore the historic mansion before selling it, saying they could no longer live in the place where their son had died. Will the construction crew’s tales of ghostly sightings stop the mansion from being rebuilt? Or is this just some college prank? More details tonight at eight.”

All eight of the kids were deathly silent for a moment before Stan, who was passing by the living room, burst out laughing. “Ghosts, ha!” Stan jeered as he leaned on the door frame. “Yeah, right! Smoke and mirrors, that’s what this is! Only an idiot would believe something like that. Smart way to get publicity though,” he said with careful interest. “I hope they don’t try and turn that mansion into some kind of a haunted house tourist trap. Then I might actually have some competition.”

Neil glanced at Norman, but his friend had a pretty good poker face.

“Hey, come to think of it,” Stan continued, “why haven’t I ever tried the haunted angle before? Come to The Mystery Shack, the most haunted place in America! Yeah, I like the way that sounds.” Stan headed back down the hallway, humming thoughtfully to himself.

Coraline turned to the rest of the group. “I don’t know about you guys, but that sounds like fun.”

“What does?” Dipper asked. “Turning the Mystery Shack into a fake ghost hotspot?”

Coraline rolled her eyes. “No, genius. Investigating! Checking out that haunted house on Maple Street. This town is pretty boring. A haunted house is just what it needs.”

“Uh, I don’t think that’s a good idea!” Dipper said in a rush.

Coraline raised an amused eyebrow. “Why not? Scared?”

Dipper’s face flushed in embarrassment. “No! I’m not scared! It’s just- ghosts? C-Come on, that stuff isn’t real,” Dipper insisted, looking to his sister for backup.

Neil glanced at Norman again. His friend seemed paler than usual.

“I believe in ghosts,” Neil said suddenly, causing Norman to give him a panicked look.

Coraline nodded in his direction. “So do I,” she said. “And I can’t think of anything better to do tonight than to check to see if that house really is haunted. You don’t have to come with if you’re scared. Wybie and I will go.”

“Wh-what? Why me?” Wybie asked, but she ignored him.

“Lili and I will go too,” Raz said and Lili nodded.

“This is a really bad idea guys,” Dipper stressed.

Coraline rolled her eyes. “Well, if you’re right and there is no such thing as ghosts then I guess we’ll be fine, won’t we?”

“Dipper’s right,” Norman spoke up. “This is a really bad idea…”

“Yes! Thank you!” Dipper said in relief, giving Norman a smile. “Why don’t we have a movie night instead? Walking around an old burned down mansion is just boring, not to mention dangerous!”

“Okay, you do that.” Coraline said. “I’m going tonight and anyone can join me if they want. Anyone who wants to do movie night can stay at the shack.”

Dipper and Norman looked at each other silently.

Neil already knew what Norman was going to do. Although Norman had told him that he didn’t want anyone at camp to know about his gift, the young medium wouldn’t allow other people to go look for a potentially dangerous ghost on their own, even if it put his secret at risk.

Norman believed that because of his powers it was his duty to both help ghosts, and to keep people safe from the dangerous ones. Kind of like Spiderman’s ‘with great powers comes great responsibility’ thing, but with less web shooting and wall climbing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually got fanart for my fic! How cool is that?   
> [ Fanart.](http://mysterykidscasefiles.tumblr.com/post/148106044778/vatterju-some-fanart-for-mysterykidscasefiles)
> 
> My tumblr: [ mysterykidscasefiles.](http://mysterykidscasefiles.tumblr.com/)


	10. Chapter 8: Cold Spots

Coraline had to admit, she was surprised Dipper decided to join them tonight.

Dipper had been against going out to investigate the rumored haunted house, but he had still followed them when they left out the backdoor of the Mystery Shack. Stan didn’t seem to notice them leave and Mabel and Dipper didn’t seem overly worried about him when Coraline asked. Something about soap opera reruns coming on tonight.

Both Norman and Dipper had indicated that they thought exploring this mansion was a bad idea, but here they were, tagging along anyway. If they were coming along just to fit in, then they weren’t going to be of any real use, but if they were actually curious and wanted an adventure, then Coraline wouldn’t mind having them around, provided they weren’t cowards and didn’t hold everyone else back.

As they came upon the large mansion on Maple Street, Coraline couldn’t believe how perfectly it fit the haunted house imagery. It was an old, Victorian-style house with a large front yard and ominous dark windows. Part of its roof was caved in, and one of the rooms on the top right side of the house had been completely devoured by the fire, leaving a large gaping hole in the side of the house. The paint on the top half the house was blackened by the flames, but other than the crumbling roof and the missing chunk of the third floor, the house looked to be structurally sound. The restoration crew had evacuated the premise in a hurry, leaving their tools lying around the front yard.

“Last chance to turn back,” Coraline said as the dark mansion stood looming before them.

No one moved other than to glance at each other, some faces filled with more confidence than others. “Okay then… let’s go in and see if we have a real live haunted house on our hands-”

“A real dead haunted house,” Mabel corrected.

“Uhh, right.”

Coraline approached the house with the others trailing closely behind her. She had met ghost before in the Other World, but this was different. This might be a vengeful spirit. She had to be ready for anything. Coraline turned the knob to the front door, but it wouldn’t budge.

“It’s locked,” Coraline said with a frown.

“Stopped by a locked door,” Lili snarked. “Well, that was the shortest adventure ever.”

Coraline ignored her. “Wybie? Can you-?” she asked.

“I-I forgot my lock pick set in my luggage.” Wybie interrupted apologetically. “Sorry, Jonesy.”

“You carry a lock pick set on vacation with you?” Raz asked with a voice that was both confused and impressed.

The older boy shrugged and then nodded to Coraline. “I’m friends with her. I’ve learned to carry lock picks with me almost everywhere.”

Coraline focused her attention back on the door. Could she break it down? She was no doubt the strongest in the group, but she didn’t think she had the strength to break down a solid wooden door. Perhaps there was a window they could sneak in through?

To her surprise, Mabel spoke up. “Don’t worry, I got this,” she assured everyone as she practically pranced up to the door and produced a bobby pin from her thick, brown hair.

She placed a bobby pin in the lock and began to jiggle it around.

“Doesn’t that only worked in-” Neil began.

_Click!_

“…The movies?” he finished in awe as Mabel twisted the handle and the door swung open.

Everyone but Mabel and her twin brother gawked in surprised.

“Mabel’s got mad lock picking skills,” her brother explained as if this was perfectly normal. “Then again, she can do just about anything with hair ties and bobby pins.”

“And yet you still don’t appreciate my hair-topiaries,” Mabel said with a huff.

“Turning your hair into an ostrich is not art,” Dipper snapped back and Coraline got the impression they’ve had this augment before.

“Like you would know anything about art, Dip-stick!”

“Guys, can we focus here?” Raz asked.

Coraline entered the mansion cautiously. It wasn’t as dark as Coraline expected thanks to the lights from the street lamps shining in through the overly large windows, illuminating the furnitureless entryway and the large ornate staircase in the middle of the room. Coraline flipped the light switch on the wall, but the lights didn’t turn on.

The walls were bare and the only sign of human life were the new planks of wood and power tools scattered on the floor. Coraline had to step over a drill as she made her way further into the house, adding more evidence to the hurried nature in which the construction workers must have abandoned their work.

“Why is it always giant, creepy, old mansions that are haunted?” Neil asked. “How come there aren’t movies about haunted apartment buildings?”

“Or how about haunted trailer parks?” Wybie added.

“Or haunted treehouses,” Neil said. “I’ve always wanted a treehouse… haunted or otherwise.”

Dipper stepped forward gingerly and peered up the large staircase. “This place is huge,” he remarked. “And really old. It must be one of the oldest buildings in town.”

Coraline noticed Raz place his fingers to his temple, a look of concentration on his face. As Dipper looked back at the group, he seemed to take note of Raz’s strange movements as well.

“You okay, man?” the behatted boy asked.

Raz jumped in surprise as he quickly ripped his hand away from his temple. “O-Oh! Yeah, just a… a small headache.”

Dipper frowned. “Maybe we should go?” he offered a bit too eagerly. “If you have a headache you don’t want it getting worse.”

Raz shook his head. “No, I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure? Maybe it would be a good idea if-”

“Listen, Pines,” Coraline snapped.  “If you’re scared and you want to leave that’s fine. Anyone who doesn’t want to be here should leave the adventure to the rest of us.”

Dipper opened his mouth to protest when the ceiling let out a long, high-pitched creek. Everyone’s heads snapped upwards. It sounded as if a large amount of pressure was being placed on one of the floorboards upstairs. After a moment, the noise stopped, leaving them in strained silence.

Wybie let out a shaky laugh. “This place is pretty old. That was probably from a rusty pipe or someth-“

“Shh!” Lili hissed.

_Tap-tap… tap-tap… tap-tap…_

Coraline felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise as a tapping sound echoed through the spaces between the walls. Coraline couldn’t shake the image of a fingernail tapping against a metal surface again and again, like something was impatiently waiting for them.

On the other hand, it could just be the pipes like Wybie said.

The tapping stopped and Neil let out a relieved breath. “Was that… was that someone tapping?” he asked, moving closer to Norman.

Coraline walked to the wall on her left and stiffly outstretched her hand. Determined not to hesitate, Coraline rapped her knuckles against the wall three times.

Everyone held completely still and listened.

Coraline could hear the wheezing breathing of Neil behind her, but nothing else made a sound in the eerily quiet house. The pounding of Coraline’s heart against her chest began to slow as she let out a short laugh. Those strange noises must have really been the pipes.

There was a loud bang from upstairs, and Coraline’s heart leapt up into her throat. The sound of fast-paced footsteps came from upstairs. Coraline came to the terrifying realization that the footsteps, which were steadily growing louder each second, were of someone, or something, running as fast as they could straight towards them! In any second, Coraline would be able to see it appear at the top of the stairs.

Coraline took a fearful step back, her eyes fixated on the top of the stairs. Out of the corner of her eye, Coraline saw Raz and Lili step forward towards the staircase, their finger’s flying to their temples’ as if they were both struck with simultaneous headaches, but the look on their faces were ones of determination, not pain.

The sound of running was almost upon them now, and Coraline’s heart was hammering loudly in her ears. Her body was buzzing with both terror and excitement, and she wasn’t sure if she could tell the feelings apart.

The sound of running came to an abrupt halt and everything went silent.

Coraline peered through the darkness up the top of the stairs, but no one was there.

“Hello?” Coraline called. “Is anyone up there?” But there was no answer.

The footsteps seemed to have stopped in the hallway to the right of the staircase, but if Coraline climbed the stairs, she might be able to see what had made that noise. She _had_ to know what it was.

“Th-that doesn’t have to be a ghost,” Wybie whispered. “There could easily be a person upstairs. They might be dangerous.”

“Y-yeah,” Norman agreed weakly. “Maybe we should leave.”

“I don’t think that was a person,” Raz said calmly, removing his fingers from his temple as Lili did the same.

“What makes you say that?” Coraline asked.

Raz shrugged. “Just a hunch.”

“I-I guess there is only one way to find out,” Coraline said, surprised by the sudden stutter in her voice. She walked upto the stairs and placed a hand on the railing. “It’s okay if you guys want to stay here. I just have to see what that was.”

Lili scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Please, Blue, you act like you’re the only brave one here. I’m not scared of whatever’s up there, alive or dead.”

Lili began to ascend the stairs, and Raz followed close behind her.

Coraline turned to tell the other kids they could wait down here, but Dipper and Mabel were already following closely behind the other two; Mabel even seemed to be skipping. Coraline saw Norman give Neil a look she couldn’t quite decipher, and they too began walking towards the stairs. Wybie mumbled something about this being a terrible idea and pulled a flashlight out of his backpack before following the other kids.

Coraline’s surprise must have shown on her face, because Dipper chuckled nervously as he stopped beside her.

“We have two choices, either wait down here or go upstairs,”  Dipper explained. “Either way we’re going to be scared something or someone is going to attack us. I’d rather know what it is we might have to defend ourselves from. It’s better than just sitting here in the dark.”

Coraline nodded dumbly, still taken aback by Dipper’s sudden logic and bravery. For a nervous kid, Dipper wasn’t as much of a coward as she had been expecting.

As they ascended the stairs together, Coraline noticed  air was developing a strange chill that seemed to bite at her ears and the back of her neck.

Mabel shuttered, clutching her sweater closer to her. “Brrr, is it just me, or did it get really cold?”

Wybie frowned. “Heat rises…” he said slowly. “And there are no open windows up here that I can see. It doesn’t make much sense for the second floor to be any colder. Plus, some spots seem to be colder than others.”

The windows on the second floor were a little smaller, allowing less light in. The kids found themselves squinting at each other in the dark.

Coraline grabbed Wybie’s flashlight out of his hands, and shined the light down the hallway to the right. Whatever had been running towards them earlier was nowhere to be seen.

Coraline approached the closest room. This had to be right outside of where the footsteps stopped and it was possible that whoever it was quietly snuck into this room.

“Coraline,” her cousin called out in warning, but she ignored him. She could feel Raz’s presence beside her, and secretly she appreciated the backup, even if realistically Raz wouldn’t be able to do much of anything against either a ghost or a potentially dangerous person hiding in the room.

Taking a breath, Coraline turned the knob of the door and pushed it open. Coraline shined her flashlight around the room, illuminating the small study. Like the rest of the house it was empty of furniture, and anything else of interest as well.

“Nothing’s here,” Coraline called to the rest of the group and she could hear multiple relieved sighs coming from behind her. Coraline did a thorough check of the open closet, just to make sure no one was hiding in there, but it too was empty.

When Coraline returned to the hallway with the rest of the kids, Raz spoke up. “I think we need to come up with a plan.”

“I did have an idea,” Coraline began. “But I don’t think you guys will like it.”

“Please don’t tell me you want us to split up, Jonesy.” Wybie said with dread as he pulled a second flashlight out of his bag.

“Just hear me out,” Coraline said and Wybie let out a long groan. “As far as I see it, we have two best options, one for each possible scenario that we could be dealing with.”

“And what are we dealing with?” Neil asked.

“We all heard something up here, right?” Coraline said. “If we think whatever we heard might be just some people squatting in this house, then the best option is to stick together and open each door one at a time. This way we will eventually find them and if they attack us, we’ll have safety in numbers.”

“Okay and what’s the second scenario?” Norman asked.

Coraline couldn’t help but grin in excitement. “The second scenario is that there really is a ghost here and the best option is to split up and try to find it!”

“But why would splitting up help?” Neil asked. “That never turns out well in the movies.”

“Think about it, if it’s a ghost, then it can move from room to room without anyone seeing it. If we go as one group it can avoid us easily, but if we spread out we have more of a chance of seeing it. Also, a ghost might be more willing to show itself to just a few people instead of all of us.”

“And what if it doesn’t want to avoid us?” Dipper asked. “It didn’t seem to avoid the construction crew.”

“Here’s the thing, Pines,” Coraline said lowly, leaning forward. “The people in the construction crew were adults; they were probably big with a lot of muscles, right? If the ghost is strong enough to attack them and drive all of them out of the house, then do you really think it matters how many of us there are? If the ghost wanted to attack us, I don’t think it matters if there are two of us in a group or all of us.”

The room fell silent at that sobering thought.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Dipper said with a frown.

“I-If there is a ghost, it might not want to scare us at all,” Norman spoke up. “Maybe the construction crew was too much for it. If we split up, we’re less likely to frighten it, and maybe it will be willing to talk to us.”

“Frighten a ghost?” Lili asked with a scoff. “I’ve never heard that before. Isn’t it usually the other way around?”

Norman shrugged. “I-It’s just a theory.”

“Now all that’s left is to decide is what scenario we have on our hands,” Coraline said. “If we think there are living people hiding in this house, we go together. If we think it’s a ghost, we’ll split up and try to find it in groups of two, okay? Now, raise your hand if you think there is nothing supernatural going on in this mansion.”

Not a single hand was raised.

Coraline stared. “Even you, Pines? I thought you said ghosts weren’t real?”

Dipper rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, it’s hard to ignore the facts,” he said with a sheepish smile. “A ghost sighting, strange noises, cold spots. I’m not an expert, but I’ve seen enough horror movies to know what that means. And then there were those footsteps we heard stopin this hallway and we didn’t hear them move away. If that had been a corporeal person we would have seen him by now, but there is no one else here.”

“Okay, I get that,” Coraline said slowly. “But that doesn’t explain how calm you all are about meeting a ghost.”

“What do you mean?” Mabel asked. “You’re calm too,” she pointed out.

“I don’t really scare easily,” Coraline said. “But I figured at least a few of you would, right? We’re going to try and find a ghost that might try to attack us, but you’re all just… just fine!”

“So?” Lili asked.

“Sooo,” Coraline emphasized. “I have to ask. Have any of you had experience with the paranormal before?”

There was no immediate reaction to her question, just an awkward silence as the kids looked around at each other curiously.  

Eventually, her cousin was the first to speak up. “N-no, I haven’t,” Norman said.

Neil shook his head, but not before giving Norman a long look.

The twins exchanged quick glances. “Neither have we,” Dipper said, speaking for the both of them. “That’s why I said I didn’t believe in them earlier, remember?”

Coraline looked over at Raz.

“Nah,” Raz said casually. “I’ve seen a lot of weird things in my life- most of them involve my family- but supernatural? No.”

“I haven’t either,” Lili said. “What about you?”

Coraline could feel Wybie staring at her as she shook her head. “No. I wish… but no.”

“So, basically no one knows what they’re doing,” Wybie summed up. “Great.”

“Well, whether we know what we’re doing or not, we should start doing it soon,” Raz said.

“We’ll split up into pairs,” Coraline said. “The Wonder Twins can take the hallway to the right and The Lovebirds here can take the rooms to the left. My cuz and Neil can check the third story rooms on the right and Wybie and I can check the third story on the left.”

“What do we do if we find something?” Neil asked. “Do we have a special call or signal?”

“How about we just scream for help?” Wybie suggested. “It’s simple, easy to remember, and I’ll be doing it anyways if I actually see a ghost.”

Coraline chuckled and nodded. “If we see anything or hear anything yell as loud as you can and we’ll all come running. Does everyone have a flashlight?”

Dipper pulled one out of his backpack and Neil and Norman held up their cell phones.

“Don’t worry, we’ll use these,” Norman said.

“What about you guys?” Dipper asked Raz and Lili, but Raz waved off his concern with a hand and a confident grin.

“Don’t worry, we’ve got it covered,” he assured them vaguely.

“Okay, if you haven’t found anything after checking all the rooms, meet back here,” Coraline said. “Once we’re all back together we can decided what to do next.”

Mabel threw her hand into the middle of the group. “Okay, hands in everyone!”

Coraline stared at the girl and Raz shifted awkwardly beside her.

Dipper rolled his eyes. “Mabel… just… no.”

To Coraline’s surprise, another hand joined Mabel’s. “Yeah! I’ve always wanted to be apart of one one these!” Neil exclaimed excitedly.

“Great!” Mabel cheered. “Anyone else want in on this?” she asked as she waggled her eyebrows at the rest of the group.

“Come on Norman, do it with us!” Neil encouraged.

“Uhh… okay, I guess?” Reluctantly, Norman put his hand in as well.

“Okay, go team on three, got it?” Mabel asked.

There was a chorus of “one, two three,” and then “go team!”

Coraline noted that Norman’s voice in the chant had been either been missing or too quiet to here.

“You idiots do realize that your lives are in more danger than they’ve ever been, right?” Lili asked. “Or did you forget we’re hunting an angry spirit?”

“We don’t know if it’s angry,” Norman said as he pulled his hand awkwardly back to his chest.

“Yes, I’m sure the ghost was just trying to be hospitable to the construction workers,” Lili said sarcastically. “It’s probably just misunderstood.”

“Come on guys, let’s move,” Dipper reminded them. “We have a lot of house to cover.”

Coraline and Wybie began climbing the creaky wooden stairs to the third floor of the house while the other kids dispersed into groups. She could hear Norman and Neil climbing up the stairs not far behind them.

Once at the top, Coraline began carefully checking rooms for any sign of a ghost while Wybie held up his flashlight to add to her own light, illuminating each room further. Without the furniture or any sign that people had lived here, the empty rooms made her feel like she was peeking into an abandoned graveyard without any headstones. There was something unworldly about walking through an empty house that used to belong to someone else. It reminded Coraline of when she first moved into the Pink Palace Apartments with her family, and how empty that place had looked when it was full of nothing but unpacked boxes. Searching through that apartment was exactly what lead her to find that little locked door sealed underneath the wallpaper…

A shudder ran up her spine. Now was not the time to think about Her.

“Why didn’t you tell them?” Wybie asked suddenly.

Coraline sighed. She should had known there was a reason why Wybie had been quiet for way too long. He had only been waiting for the right time to confront her.

“You’ve seen ghosts before,” Wybie insisted. “And you beat that… thing. Whatever she was…. the Other Mother. You’re the only one of us that really has any experience with the supernatural.”

Coraline ran her hand through her hair as she twisted around to face him. “What was I supposed to say?” she challenged in a low voice. “I have no proof and that story is too weird to believe on its own. They would just think I was making it up. Besides…”

But she let her sentence hang as she opened another door. Nothing, just another ghostless graveyard.

“Besides what?”

“Nevermind, it’s stupid,” Coraline said as she shut the door and began to make her way to the next.  

“What is it?” Wybie prodded.

“Leave it alone, Why-Were-You-Born,” Coraline snapped.

But of course, whether is was a rare slug or a topic of conversation that just needed to die, Wybie didn’t know how to leave anything alone.

“Come on, Jonesy, just tell me already. You wouldn’t have mentioned it if you hadn’t wanted to tell me.”

Coraline knew he was not going to let this go. “You’re going to think it’s stupid but…” she hesitated. “I… I don’t like to talk about it.” Her hand was on the doorknob of the next room, but she paused before opening it. “I just feel like if I talk about it… if I talk about her, then she might come back somehow. I don’t know… that probably sounds crazy.”

“Okay, yeah,” Wybie admitted slowly. “That does sounds a little paranoid.”

Coraline turned to face her friend with a growl, punching him square on his upper arm. Leave it to Wybie to say things without a filter.

“Ow!” he yelped as he rubbed his arm. “What did I do?”

“You’re supposed to tell me that I don’t sound crazy. That’s what a normal friend would do!”

Wybie sighed. “What I meant is, she’s gone Coraline. You made sure of that, and you shouldn’t be worrying about her anymore. It’s not good for you.” Wybie reached up and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a little shake. “You won, and she’s not coming back.”

She wanted to believe that. She really did.

But she couldn’t.

“I wish I could be as sure as you are about that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Featured in this chapter: everyone lying, Coraline thinking she’s physically the strongest one in the group, and the one time in the history of the world were splitting up may not be the worst idea ever invented… ooor maybe not.
> 
> My tumblr: [ mysterykidscasefiles.](http://mysterykidscasefiles.tumblr.com/)


	11. Chapter 9: The Attic

“Is there a ghost here?” Neil asked as they drifted further and further down the hall from Coraline and Wybie.

“Yeah,” Norman whispered. “I haven’t seen him yet, but I know he has to be here.”

“Him?” Niel asked.

Norman nodded. “I can sense the ghost and I can tell it’s a him. I’m… not sure how I know that.”

“Can you tell anything else about the ghost?”

“He’s really powerful,” Norman said, stopping dead in the middle of the hallway. The hairs on his arms stood on end. They were getting close. “I-I don’t like it. We shouldn’t be here.”

“But don’t you want to talk to him?” Neil asked. “He might be friendly.”

“Neil, when I say he’s powerful, I don’t just mean he could probably float a few objects around the room. I mean he’s powerful, almost Aggie powerful.”

Neil’s eyes grew in size as he stared at Norman in disbelief. “Seriously? But she brought the dead back to life!”

Norman reached for his stomach and his hand gripped the fabric of his shirt. There was a feeling that settled deep in his gut ever since he entered the house, and it had only grown the more they explored. Norman couldn’t quite describe this feeling, but if he had to, the closest he could come was dread. It was almost exactly like dread, but dread was the feeling you get when you’re worried something bad is going to happen. This feeling wasn’t a worry, it was a certainty.

However, despite what he called it, or what it felt like, Norman knew exactly what this feeling was: A warning. The ghost did not want them here and the longer they stayed the angrier the ghost became.

“I don’t think he’ll have her exact powers, but he’s definitely a poltergeist liker her. Most ghosts are harmless, but poltergeists…” Norman trailed off. “And this one doesn’t like us being here.”

“That sounds bad. Do you know where the ghost is?” Neil asked, twirling around nervously as he shined the light from his phone into every crevice in the hallway.

Norman nodded. “Yeah.” He pointed his phone’s flashlight to the ceiling. “He’s in the attic.”

Neil turned back to face him, shining the light into Norman’s eyes. Norman squinted back at him.

“You’re going up there, aren’t you?” Neil stated, suddenly serious.

“The other kids are going to check the attic eventually,” Norman explained. “I think it would be better if I found the ghost first.”

“Will everyone be able to see the ghost too?”

Norman nodded. “Poltergeists are powerful enough that anyone can see them.”

A grin spread across Neil’s face. “Cool!”

“No, not cool, Neil!” Norman hissed under his breath. “Don’t you remember how dangerous Aggie was? This ghost could really hurt people if I don’t talk to him first.”

“Actually, I don’t remember.”

Norman raised a confused eyebrow at his friend. “What do you mean?”

“You talked to Aggie on your own, remember?  I didn’t get a chance to help.” Neil said with a shrug. His face was schooled in a poorly constructed nonchalant expression.

“What are you talking about?” Norman asked. “Neil, you were my only living friend. You still are. If you had given up on trying to befriend me, I would have never known what to say to Aggie.”

Neil smiled sheepishly. “Yeah… okay, but that’s not what I meant.”

There was a creek from upstairs, and the two boys’ eyes darted to the ceiling.

“Do you… do you think it’s the kid who died in the fire?” Neil asked.

Norman’s eyes didn’t leave the ceiling. “I don’t know. That’s what’s been bothering me. That kid died recently, right? Usually poltergeists take years to get as powerful as the ghost in this house, but…”

“But what?”

Norman looked back at his friend. “If the ghost is that kid that died in the fire… Luis, I think. Then how did he get so powerful so quickly?”

“Should we go up to the attic and ask him?” Neil suggested.

Norman hesitated. “Neil, poltergeists can be pretty sensitive. I don’t think we should both try and talk to him. I think you should wait down…”

“No way!” Neil shouted.

“Shh!” Norman glanced down the hallway, but Coraline and Wybie were nowhere to be seen. “Neil, this might be really dangerous and I don’t want you to-”

Neil placed his hands on Norman’s shoulders and gave him a little shake. “No way, Norman” he said again with more emphasis. “Not this time.”

Norman sighed and tried to pull away from Neil’s grip, but his friend wouldn’t let go.

“Seriously, I’m the medium, this is my job-”

“Noooo no no nooo,” Neil sang as he shook Norman back and forth more violently.

“Okay, stop that!” Norman protested, pushing Neil away. His friend finally let go. “That’s really annoying!” he said lowly.

“You’re not facing a dangerous ghost alone again, and until you get that, I’m going to be the most annoying person in the entire world to you!”

Norman rolled his eyes. “Neil, that’s ridiculous.”

“Not as ridiculous as the fact that you actually think I’m going to let you go into the attic alone.”

“You’re not letting this go, are you?”

“Nope!”

“Fine,” Norman sighed, knowing he had lost. Neil wasn’t usually so stubborn, but there was something about this that was really important to him.

Truthfully, as much as Norman didn’t want Neil in danger, he couldn’t help but feel grateful for the backup. Even if Neil couldn’t do much to help if the ghost attacked them, at least he could lend moral support. Norman wasn’t exactly eager to face down another poltergeist so soon after Aggie.

An icy sensation prickled at Norman’s spine as they approached the narrow stairway to the attic. Norman noticed that this part of the second floor was blackened by a fire. The wallpaper had been burned off and what was left of the carpet was almost unrecognizable. The door to his right was open, and on the other side of the medium sized room there was a large gap in the side of the wall, which had been completely destroyed by the fire. Where there had once been a wall, there was now only stars and the outline of pine trees blowing in the wind.

The stairs to the attic seemed to have taken a lot of damage and as Norman became concerned that they wouldn’t hold their weight. Carefully, the two boys climbed the stairs; each step caused the wooden stairs to creak underneath their feet. When they swung the attic door open, the area before them was large and spacious, but much of it had been blackened by fire and smoke. There was a large hole in right side of the attic, which matched the destroyed room below them. The building’s insulation, which had been burnt and turned a dusty grey color, leaked from the hole in the wall. Moonlight shone in the room, allowing enough light to see by.

Norman could feel the hair rising on his arms, and he grew colder by the second. The chill seeped into his bones and settled like daggers in his lungs. It wasn’t just cold; it burned like a fire across his skin. In that moment, Norman was convinced he would never feel warm again.

Norman had never reacted to a ghost in this way before. Ghosts always made him feel cold, but this was different, this was hostile.

Instantly, Norman’s gaze fell on a figure sitting in the middle of the room. It was of a small boy about Norman’s age. He had blond curly hair, but his head was buried in his knees with his legs pulled up to his chest, so Norman couldn’t make out his face.

“H-Hello,” Norman greeted while taking a step forward. “My name is Norman and this is my friend Neil.” He motioned for Neil to stay back and the boy complied nervously. Neil’s eyes were locked directly on the ghost’s form, which meant that Neil could see him as well. They were definitely dealing with a poltergeist.

“Are you okay?” Norman asked carefully as he took another step closer. “We’re sorry we invaded your house. We just wanted to meet you and to see if we could help.”

The ghost looked up and Norman could feel a sharp chill run through his body. The dead boy had piercing blue eyes that burned as they fixed on Norman.

“I don’t need your help,” the boy said, his words echoing in the empty attic.

“Y-Your name is Luis, right?” Norman tried, attempting to keep his voice calm.

The dead boy moved his legs away from his chest. “Yes.” He narrowed his eyes. “How do you know that?”

Norman hesitated, thinking over his answer carefully. “We heard on the news that you kicked some construction workers out of your house. We wanted to see if there was anything that we could do to help you.” Norman made sure his words were as non-confrontational as possible. As he had learned from Aggie, poltergeists were easy to offend and even the smallest slip up could anger the ghost.

“They were messing with my house,” Luis snapped, his voice growing louder. Now that Norman could see Luis better, he could make out his oval face and freckled nose and cheeks. “They’re fixing it because they want to sell it.”

“So you don’t want the house to be sold because you still live here?” Norman concluded.

Luis shook his head. "No, that's not it."

Norman blinked. “But then why-”

“Did I kill any of the construction crew?” Luis asked, cutting Norman off.

Norman froze. “No, they were all fine. Did you…” Norman really didn’t want an answer to this question but he had to ask. “Did you mean to kill them?”

“NO!” Luis shouted, causing Norman to jump. “I didn’t mean to kill anyone, I-” Luis stopped short, his eyes seemed to focus on Norman again, but they were full of suspicion. “Wait... Why are you even here?"

“I-I told you, I’m just here because I want to help-”

“You brought all your friend too! I can hear them on the second floor. Did you all come to stare at the freak?”

“Of course not!” Norman denied quickly. “We’re all just here to help.”

Luis disappeared from Norman’s view and then appeared standing only inches before him. Norman stumbled back and managed to catch himself before he fell.

Neil yelped in fear, but Norman barely registered the noise.

“I-I don’t think you’re a freak,” Norman stammered out. “But you’re alone here and-.”

Without warning, Luis raised his arm towards Norman and then flicked his wrist as if shooing a fly. Norman felt as if he gut was left behind as he was sent flying across the room. He landed with a thud against the opposite wall, the back of his head erupting into hot pain. Norman tried to open his eyes, but he realized in panic that his vision was completely black.

“Norman!” he heard Neil shout again. He could feel Neil by his side, trying to get him to sit up.

Norman took a few shallow breaths as he tried to collect himself. White spots filled the darkness in front of him, and slowly, the world began to return around him. The medium could feel the ghost of Luis approach them and the smell of smoke assaulted his nose.

Norman blinked up at the approaching Luis. The figure was blurry, but Norman could feel the pure rage pulsing off of the ghost.

If Luis wanted to, he could kill them both. Why was Norman here anyway? Norman was just twelve years old kid. He got lucky with Aggie, but did Norman really think he could survive another poltergeist? Norman was supposed to be the medium and understand ghosts better than anyone, but he had no idea what to do.

“Don’t you dare say that! I’m not alone!” Luis yelled. “I don’t want them to fix the house because they might mess with her door.”

Norman forced himself to sit up and he tried to block out the ringing in his ears. “Her? Who's her? Is someone else here?”

Luis’s voice was suddenly eerily calm. “Mother is with me."

Norman frowned in confusion. His mother? But-

“Mother will never leave me,” Luis continued.

“You mean Mrs. Cardinal?” Norman asked unsure. Luis’s parents had survived the fire, but according to the news, she never visited the house.  

Luis shook his head vigorously. “No, not her. She’s not my mother, she never loved me. I mean my mother… my Other Mother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So… if anyone was expecting that then I have two things to say… how? And get out of my brain! 
> 
> It will all make sense eventually though, but definitely not for a while. Sorry it took so long to update. I had to take a little break for school. I hope to update soon. The next chapter is really long and it will take me a while to edit (it’s also an important chapter so I can’t mess it up). 
> 
> Thanks for sticking around to read my story. Let me know what you think!
> 
> My tumblr: [ mysterykidscasefiles.](http://mysterykidscasefiles.tumblr.com/)  
> I'm also doing some "incorrect quotes" for the Mystery Kids on my tumblr, so if you are interested in that you might want to check it out.


	12. Chapter 10: Luis Cardinal

“Sense anything?” Raz asked as his hand fell from his temple.

The two psychics wandered down the mansion hallway together. They had yet to open any doors, and instead, were relying on their extrasensory perception to look around the mansion.

“No,” Lili said.

“Me neither.” Raz frowned worriedly. “But there was definitely something up here earlier, right? I couldn’t sense it, but we all heard it. If there is a ghost here, shouldn’t we be able to sense it?”

Lili rolled her eyes. “Don’t you know anything? Only mediums can sense ghosts.”

“Mediums? I didn’t think mediums were real.”

Lili placed her hands on her hips. "Says the prodigy psychic boy."

Raz chuckled. “I guess you have a point. It's just that I’ve seen people claiming to be mediums before who were obviously fake. Are mediums considered psychics?"

"Not exactly. They do have extrasensory perception like we do, but it's a different type. As psychics, we sense the life energy of living things, but ghosts aren't alive, so we can't sense them. Ghosts do have their own kind of mental energy but it doesn't reside in the living world so it's out of our reach. Mediums are people with the ability to see into the non-living world.”

“The non-living world? What’s that?”

“It’s like a separate ghost dimension that overlaps with ours." Lili explained. “The living can’t see into it, which is why people can’t see ghosts, but ghosts can see us and even interact with us if they’re strong enough.”

“So it’s kind of like a one-way mirror? But then, why can mediums see ghosts?”

“I don’t really understand it,” Lili said with a shrug, “But apparently mediums partially reside in the non-living world themselves.”

“So because we’re not mediums we won’t be able to sense a ghost even if it’s right next to us?”

Lili nodded. “Exactly. There are some ghosts that have enough energy that anyone can see them, but that’s only the powerful ones. They’re called poltergeists and they’re extremely unstable and dangerous. I’ve always wanted to see one, but they’re very rare.”

Raz stared at his girlfriend, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smirk.

Lili scowled at him; a slight flush to her cheeks. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Oh nothing," he said with a light, teasing voice. "I just didn't know you were so knowledgeable about ghosts. It doesn't really seem like something you would be into. It's kind of nerdy how much you know about it... in a cute way."

Lili blushed and gave Raz a heated glare. He could feel her psychic energy concentrate on his foot and then a small flame erupted on the top of his shoe.

“What? H-hey!” He yelled and hopped on one foot so he could put the small flame out, smothering it easily with his gloved hand

"I hate you," Lili growled, her cheeks still pink.

"No you don't," Raz said in a sing-song voice. Before Lili could add anything else, Raz spoke again. "Seriously, how do you know so much about ghosts and mediums?"

"My dad told me.” Lili explained. “Ever since I can remember, he's always complained about the lack of mediums that are available to help out on cases involving ghosts. It’s not often, but sometimes the Psychonauts only option is to speak with the dead. The problem is, mediums are so rare that the Psychonauts usually can’t find one that is willing to be a consultant on a case. And even if we do, most mediums aren’t very powerful, and at most, they’re only able to sense if there is a ghost in the area. Finding one that can see and talk to ghosts is almost impossible.”

"Do you think there might be a ghost here?" Raz asked.

Lili paused. "I don't know for sure," she said slowly. "At first, I thought this place might have a lead on psychic disturbance we’re looking for, but I haven't been able to sense anything. If there is something here and we can't sense then that means it might be a ghost."

"But if it is a ghost," Raz continued, “then it has nothing to do with what we are looking for, since we are looking for a psychic disturbance and not a deceased one.”

Lili froze; her eyes wide. “Do you… do you smell a fire?” she asked.

“Well, you did just light my shoe on-”

“No, seriously,” Lili interrupted with a shake of her head. “It smells like wood burning.”

Raz scrunched up his nose; he was surprised he hadn’t notice it sooner.

Lili and Raz looked at each other. Fires don’t usually start randomly in abandoned mansions. Something was wrong. The two of them took off running back to where their search began.

The other kids seemed to have the same idea. Coraline and Wybie were already waiting for them when the two psychics approached and the twins arrived soon after.

“Hey, where’s the fire?” Mabel asked, and then seemed to find her choice of words hilarious as she laughed. “Literally!”

“We could smell it but we haven’t been able to find it,” Wybie explained.

“And more importantly, where are Norman and Neil?” Dipper asked. The kids looked around at each other, but no one seemed to have a clue.

There was a loud  _thunk_  from upstairs and all heads turned upwards.

Raz and Lili were first to the attic stairs. They could feel the heat blazing from the room above as the horrid truth came crashing down. The whole attic was on fire!

They burst into the attic through the hatch, and were immediately assaulted by a wave of intense heat which stung their eyes and caused them to throw up their hands as a shield

Before them, they saw the frightened eyes of Norman and Neil, and the angry blue eyes of an unidentified third boy. The most miraculous discovery was, despite the blazing heat, there was no fire in the room.

Norman was sprawled on the floor against the wall looking slightly dazed and wincing in pain. Remembering the loud thunk they had heard, Raz could only assume that Norman had been attacked. Raz focused on the unidentified boy in the center of the room. He couldn’t have been more than a year older than himself.

There was no doubt in Raz’s mind what the boy was. Besides his pale skin and slightly transparent appearance, there was something about him that made the hair on the back of Raz’s neck stand up.

Immediately, almost out of reflex, Raz reached out his mind to make contact with the ghost. If he had just attacked Norman, then Raz needed to know what the ghost’s next move would be. However, although Raz could see the ghost only a few feet away from him, his mind touched nothing. It was almost like he wasn’t there at all.

The ghost turned to Raz and the five others kids; his eyes radiated fury.

“Who are you people?” the ghost demanded. “Why are you in my house?”

The ghost’s voice had a strange inhuman echo-like quality to it, but other than that, he sounded no different than petulant child. If Raz squinted, ignored the glow and uneasy atmosphere that filled the room, Raz could imagine that this was just a regular kid. He haddn’t expected the ghost to look so… human.

Raz collected himself and placed a hand to his temple. He had to be ready for anything. Just because the ghost wasn’t quite as he expected didn’t change the fact that he had probably attacked Norman and would most likely do so again. However, Raz had his doubts that his psychic abilities would be useful against a ghost. If he couldn’t sense the ghost, it was likely his psi blast wouldn’t work against him either.

Something shifted out of the corner of Raz’s eyes, and he was surprised to see Norman climb weakly to his feet.

“Luis, wait!” Norman called desperately. His eyes were wide with panic and he held his hands up in a non-threatening gesture. “These people don’t mean any harm, and I know you don’t want to hurt them, so just… let me explain.”

Hatred raged behind the ghost’s piercing blue eyes as he glowered at Norman. Raz felt the temperature in the room rise rapidly and the heat prickled at his skin. He thought ghosts were supposed to be cold, but this ghost burned with anger, and it felt as real as any fire.

“NO!” Luis hissed. “I know why you’re all here!” The ghost turned his full attention to Raz and the kids behind him. They all took a step back. “You all came to laugh a the freak! Admit it!” No one was spared from his accusing gaze as he made sure to look directly at each of the children present. “You’re all just here because you wanted to see a ghost. Well, I’m not here for your entertainment!”

Raz wanted to defend himself, but he found he had nothing to say. Wasn’t the ghost essentially right? They had all come here hoping to see a ghost. He and Lili were looking for the psychic disturbance, but they had been just as eager as the others to see a ghost for the first time. And now they all stood there, gawking at Luis, making him feel like some sort of side show…

“That’s not true, Luis,” Norman’s voice spoke up again. Raz’s stomach dropped when he noticed Norman continue to approach the ghost with careful, purposeful step. If Norman continued any further, the ghost might strike out against him again. However, telling Norman to stop would call too much attention to the approach. “When I heard there might be a ghost here, I didn’t come because I wanted to see a ghost.”

Luis turned back to Norman with a sneer, but his condescending next words died on his lips when Norman spoke his next words. It wasn’t necessarily what Norman said, but the genuine, earnest way in which he said them that cause Luis’s expression to fall.

“I came because I wanted to help you.”

Even Raz was taken aback by Norman’s tone. He had assumed Norman had been dragged into this mess, but perhaps he had underestimated the kid.

Norman might not have been the only he had underestimated as he glanced around at the rest of the kids. They stood alert and watchful, fear evident in their features as they waiting for the slightest hint of danger. However, despite their perfectly normal fearful reaction to being face-to-face with a powerful ghost, none of the kids had decided to run. Most normal kids would be down the stairs and out the front door by now.

They could have been too paralyzed with fear, but the careful way in which they watched Luis told him this wasn’t the case. They weren’t just watching for danger, they were… curious.

However, none of these reactions were quite as strange as Norman’s.

There was fear obviously present in Norman’s body language, but instead of being cautious, Norman’s stance was open and vulnerable. He didn’t flinch as the ghost moved, and when he talked his voice was encouraging, but careful. Norman’s meek nature was suddenly his strength. He didn’t have to say much, but the words he did say showed he he genuinely wanted to help.

Raz could barely process the strange scene before him, but there was one thing Raz knew without a shadow of a doubt. From the very beginning, Norman had every intention of helping the ghost.

When Luis didn’t speak, Norman licked his lips and continued. “You kicked those construction workers out of your house because you were upset over something. I came because I wanted to help you before anyone got hurt.”

Luis’s eyes were glued to Norman. His whole body went rigid as Norman took another step closer.

“You have to believe me, Luis,” Norman said, his voice gaining confidence. “I came here to help, but you need to talk to me and tell me how I can help you.”

Luis took a confused step back and Raz marveled at how Norman so easily put the powerful ghost on the defensive.

“How- how can help me?” Luis asked, his voice sounding suddenly very small.

“I… I’m not sure,” Norman answered honestly. “But I promise you, I’m going to try. Let’s just talk… okay?”

Luis’s glanced over at the other kids, and then looked back at Norman.

“O-okay,” Luis said at last, his voice wavering with defeat and... relief? “I don't know why, but there is something about you that makes me want to trust you,” he admitted. “Maybe you can help me, but…” When he looked back at Raz and the other kids again his eyes were hard and angry. “But I don’t want them here!”

Raz’s gut turned uneasily. He could see where this was heading, and there was no way he was going to leave Norman alone with a dangerous poltergeist.

Norman, however, didn’t see a problem with this as he turned shyly to the other kids and shrugged. “It’s okay, guys. You can go back to the shack. I’ll be there after I talk with Luis. Don’t worry-”

“No way!” Coraline’s angry cry echoed off of the walls of the empty attic. “We’re not leaving you alone!”

“Yeah, we want to help too!” Mabel insisted.

Luis squared his shoulders as he faced them. “Well I don’t want your help! I want you out of my house!”

The room’s temperature spiked again, higher than it had ever been before. The dry heat burned at Raz’s eyes, causing them to water.

“If you don’t leave, I’ll make you!” Luis threatened.

Coraline pulled herself up to her full height and she walked forward, passing Raz on her way towards the ghost. Norman quickly moved to intercept her, stopping her from getting too close to Luis.

“Coraline, hold on!” Norman pleaded.

Luis took a fearful step away from the girl. Raz wasn’t sure if he imagined it, but he could swear he heard the slight crackling of a fire.

Coraline grabbed onto Norman’s arm protectively. “I know you want to help him Norman, but that ghost is obviously unstable,” she said in a low voice. “He might of said he’s willing to talk to you, but you can’t trust him,” Coraline glared at the ghost. “Plus, he’s already hurt you once, didn’t he?”

Norman shook his head. “No! He didn’t hurt me, I’m fine!”

Coraline’s frown deepened as she lifted her hand up and touched the back of Norman’s head. When she pulled her hand away, they could very clearly see red liquid on her finger tips.

Norman winced and placed a hand tenderly on the back of his head.

“Don’t lie to me,” Coraline growled.

“He didn’t mean it!” Norman protested. “It was an accident!”

Coraline glared at the ghost again, completely ignoring Norman’s pleas. “See? You already hurt him and he was only trying to help you!”

Luis stared at them with wide eyes, confused eyes. He looked lost. “I- I didn’t-”

It was faint, but Raz was sure he caught the slight smell of smoke.

“And Norman is still willing to help you,” Coraline continued in a low voice. “Even though you hurt him, he still wants to help. And that’s fine but… but I’m not leaving him. I’m not letting you hurt him again.”

It was like something intangible in the room snapped.

Luis let out a single, anguished cry of frustration and fury. The walls of the attic seemed to scream along with him as the sound reverberated through every inch of the house.

“Who cares!” Luis screeched. “I don’t care what happens to anyone! You broke into my house! You all deserve whatever happens to you! You should all burn!”

Raz jumped as flames erupted around him. The heat seared his skin and forced him to step backwards. The fire ate at the walls as they hungrily climbed, higher and higher. His lungs began to burn as smoke quickly filled the room, making his vision go hazy.

Raz pulled his goggles over his stinging eyes as he did his best to quickly assess the situation. Lili and most of the other kids were behind him. They were closest to the hatch that lead downstairs, which was the only escape and thankfully not blocked by flames. Neil had been hovering by the attic wall when the flames had erupted, nearly giving him severe burns. However, he managed to back away just in time and was trying his best to make his way over to the rest of them. Coraline and Norman were in the center of the room closest to the ghost, but Luis had thrown up a wall of fire between himself and the others. Raz couldn’t even see Luis through the fire and the two cousins had to hold up their hands to protect their eyes from the sudden heat.

Coraline grabbed her cousin's shoulders and pushed his insistently towards the exit. “Come on, we have to get out of here!”

Coraline had the right idea. Raz and Lili had to get the kids out of the house before Luis blocked their only exit and they were burnt alive. It was nice for Norman to try to help Luis, but he was an unstable ghost and professional mediums were needed to deal with an entity of this caliber.

They could hear Luis’s laugh echo through the room. “Ha! You're scared of me! I knew you would be. She said you would all be the same.”

“Come on guys, move!” Raz shouted.

“Keep low to the ground!” Dipper advised. “And try not to breath in too much smoke.”

His advice came too late as Neil began to cough. Neil’s eyes watered in panic as he doubled over, his breath coming out in infrequent wheezes.

Mabel appeared at Neil’s side and wrapped her arm around his arm. “It’s okay, I got you,” Mabel told him as she pulled him forward with surprising strength.

Wybie joined her in helping Neil a second later. Wybie had a bandana tied around his mouth and nose to stop himself from breathing in too much smoke.

Lili was the first to make it to the attic hatch, but instead of using her hands to touch the hot metal handle, she used her psychic powers to force the hatch open. Luckily, everyone was too concerned over the fire to notice.

They had to move quickly. No one had been hurt yet, but Raz and Lili still had to get everyone out of the attic and out of the house before it was too late. They were lucky the fire hadn’t spread and blocked their exit yet.

Wait…

That’s when Raz realized something. Luis made the fire appear everywhere around them, except for their only exit. If he really wanted to hurt them, he could have block them from escaping. The fire, although dangerously hot, didn’t seem to be spreading any closer to them.

“Norman, no! What are you doing?” Coraline cried out in alarm.

“I just.. need to do something,” Norman called back. Raz looked up to see Norman pull away from Coraline’s grasp and walk straight towards to Luis; straight towards the flames. “Everyone get out, I’ll be right behind you.”

“Norman, wait!” Raz cried out, but Norman ignored him.

_Raz, stop him!_  Lili ordered him telepathically.  _I’ll evacuate the rest of the civilians!_

True to her word, Lili grabbed Dipper’s arm and shoved him towards the hatch. “Move, we have to get out of here now!”

However, to Raz and Lili’s surprise, Dipper turned away from the hatch, his eyes bright with determination as he focused on the wall of  fire, the place where the ghost had disappeared to, and Norman, who was approaching the flames. “Not yet,” Dipper said in a steadfast tone that seemed almost out of character compared hesitant, awkward boy Raz had met earlier that day.

Mabel and Wybie had made it to the hatch with a coughing Neil in tow, but they had paused before descending.

“Bro?” Mabel asked.

Dipper gave Mabel a look, which Mabel shared with immediate understanding. It was a look shared without thought- or if they had been thinking something, Raz didn’t catch it.

Dipper turned his attention back to Norman and made his way towards him as fast as he could, but his progress was slowed by the heat. It was incredibly hot now, and the embers from the fire would occasionally shoot out towards them.

“Norman, stay away from him!” Dipper called frantically after the boy. “You have no idea how dangerous and unstable a ghost like that is!”

Raz grabbed Dipper’s shoulder before he could get too close to the fire. Dipper glared at him in return, but Raz wasn’t going to let Dipper put himself in more danger. If need be, Raz would use his telekinesis to pull Norman out of harm's way, but he couldn’t do that if he had to keep Dipper safe as well.

Norman shook his head. “This is all our fault. I have to make it right.”

Being the closest to Norman, Raz, Dipper and Coraline were the only ones to hear his next words that were almost drowned out by the crackling of the flames.

“He’s just like us… I need to at least try.”

“We need to leave, now,” came Lili’s frustrated voice. “You two, get Neil out of here.” she ordered Mabel and Wybie.

However, Neil shook his head and dug in his heels. “Wait… not… without…. Norman,” he wheezed.

“Will someone evacuate already?” Lili shouted. “Don't you idiots understand how much danger you’re in?”

“Well then, why aren’t you leaving?” Wybie countered.

Before Lili could answer, Norman spoke again, his voice loud enough that everyone could hear over the crackling fire.

“Luis,” Norman called out. “You need to stop this before anyone gets hurt!”

“If you get burned it’s your own fault!” Luis’s voice seemed to come from the house itself, even the walls and ceiling above them. “I told you to leave! I don’t want you here!”

“I know you don’t want to hurt us.” Norman said, taking a step closer to the fire, shielding his eyes from the sparking embers. “If you did, you could have burned us already.”

“You don’t... know anything about me!”

“I know you didn’t want to hurt those constructions workers,” Norman countered. “And I know you were scared when you thought you might have.”

“Shut up!”

“You're a good kid, Luis. You don’t want to hurt anyone,” Norman continued with another step. “You are just upset and confused, but I want to help you.”

“I don’t care! And I don’t care who get’s hurt!”

“Yes you do, and I’ll prove it.”

Norman was just inches away from the fire now. The wall of pure fire that shielded Luis from the rest of the kids was so large that the top of the flames was licking at the ceiling. Norman, however, didn’t let that stop him as he continued to walk towards it.

“Wh-what are you doing?” Luis cried.

“Norman!” Dipper shouted, and Raz had to tighten his grip on Dipper’s arm to hold him back. “Are you crazy?”

Raz’s mouth fell open as he realized what Norman intended to do. Raz prepared himself to use telekinesis to grab Norman and pull him away, but he was suddenly reminded of how difficult it was to sense Norman. Without a solid grip on the boy’s life energy, it would be hard to grab him… he just needed a second longer to concentrate.  

“I’m coming over to see you.” Norman said calmly. “If you want to burn me, you can, but I’m not stopping.”

“Norman!” Coraline shouted. She moved forward quickly, but it was too late.

Norman stepped towards the fire, only inches away from the flames, and then-

All the fire in the room vanished.

The heat and smoke were gone in an instant and were replaced with the refreshingly cool air of a stale, dusty attic. The cold air stung against Raz’s numb, overheated skin, and his head swam as fresh oxygen was suddenly introduced to his tired lungs. Raz only now noticed how close he had been to passing out.

Norman didn’t even hesitate as he approached a distraught Luis. The ghost’s hands gripped the roots of his blond hair and he was hunched over, his shoulders shaking.

Norman didn’t stop until he was right in front of the boy and he placed a hand on his shoulder.

Luis flinched, but then seemed to relax as Norman placed another hand on his back. Luis shook his head and lifted his gaze to meet Norman’s. Raz was struck by how… sad Luis looked. Sad and just normal.

“Why did you do that?” Luis asked, his defeated voice thick with emotion. “I could have killed you!”

Norman smiled. “You could have, but I know you didn’t want to.”

“But I already hurt you once! I could have done it again!” He shouted in frustrated, pulling away from Norman. “You should be afraid of me! Why are you not afraid of me? Why are you still here?”

“I already told you, I want to help you,” Norman explained calmly. “The construction crew are going to keep coming back. You won't be able to chase them off for long, and if you keep trying, one day one someone will get hurt. I know you don’t want that. So please, talk to me. Let me help you.”

Luis’s gaze fell to the ground. “You don’t get it. If I tell you what I did… what I am, you won't be so nice to me.”

“That’s not true, Luis,” Norman pressed. “I’m here to help you. I promise. No matter what.”

Luis looked back up at Norman, and then looked behind the boy into the faces of the rest of the kids. Norman turned around to look at them as well. Norman looked surprised to see that they were all still there.

“None of you ran away,” Luis commented. It wasn’t a question, so much as a confused statement.

“No,” Dipper said, finally managing to pull away from Raz’s grip. Dipper seemed like the only one who could find his voice in that moment. “We stayed to back Norman up and because we wanted to help.”

“If you’ll let us,” Mabel interjected, her arm still around Neil who was leaning on her for support. With the smoke gone, Neil had stopped coughing and seemed to be slowly gaining control over his breathing. “You might be surprised. We can handle a lot more than you think.”

Luis sighed. “You don’t understand. Even if you wanted to help me it would put you in even more danger.”

“What do you mean?” Dipper asked.

“In order to tell you what’s going on I’ll have to tell you about how I… how I died.” Luis looked up at Norman, his eyes pleaded for him to understand. “And I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Why would that hurt us?” Raz asked in confusion.

“He doesn’t think he can control his powers,” Norman clarified. “If he starts talking about the day he passed, then he might start getting emotional and end up setting the room on fire again. Right?”

Luis shuffled his feet and nodded. “I don’t know if I can control myself,” he admitted in a small voice. “I don’t think I can.”

“That sounds like a fair warning,” Dipper said with a shrug. “We want to hear your story but if anyone who is worried about getting hurt they can wait outside.”

There was a lengthy pause, Neil cleared his throat once, but other then that no one moved or said a word.

Raz chuckled. Honestly, he wasn’t surprised. These kids were… not what they appeared.

They were braver than he originally gave them credit for, and surprisingly loyal. Even when their lives were in danger, not one of them were willing to get to safety without first ensuring the safety of the others.

Coraline chuckled and rolled her eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic, Pines! No one's leaving. It’s going to take more than just a ghostly tantrum to scare us.”

Luis was taken aback by Coraline’s statement. “I… I thought you didn’t like me because I hurt him?” Luis ventured carefully, glancing at Norman.

Coraline frowned. “Listen… Luis, I’m not thrilled about that, but like I said, we are willing to help you as long as it’s together. It’s not fair to put all the pressure solely on Norman anyway,” Coraline reasoned.

Norman smiled at that. “See, everyone wants to help. And if you feel like you are getting too upset, we can take a break, okay?”

Luis nodded again. “O-okay…” he mumbled. “I guess I should start… started fire… the one that killed me.”

Norman nodded encouragingly. “Okay, let’s start there.”

Luis shook his head and swallowed. “No, what I mean is… I started it. The fire was my fault.”

Behind him, Raz could hear Neil gasp softly.

“I-I didn’t mean to!” Lusi added hastily. “You have to believe me, it was an accident, I-”

“It’s okay, Luis,” Norman interrupted gently. “Just tell us what happened.”

“It’s… it’s hard to explain, but I’ve always been different.”

“What do you mean by different?” Wybie asked.

Luis shrugged and looked down at the ground. “I don’t know how to explain it, but I’ve always been able to do things. Strange things that no one else can do. At first it was small things like being able to move things around with my mind, and then one night I woke up floating above my bed! I thought I was going crazy at first, but then things started getting worse.”

Raz looked back at Lili and she met his eyes knowingly. He didn’t have to read her mind to know what she was thinking. Luis Cardinal had been psychic.

“I had no idea what was going on! I could make things float and I would start fires on accident!” The smell of smoke spread through the air as Luis continued. “I didn’t tell my parents. How could I? They would never understand. They already put a lot of pressure on me to be perfect. Our family was very rich and influential in Gravity Falls. If we did something strange, the whole town would know about it, and the Northwests were always so eager to point out our mistakes to make themselves look better. I knew my family would take my freaky powers badly.”

Luis was frowning and looking past the other kids as spoke.

“Then, one night I woke up and went downstairs,” Luis continued. “I forget why. Maybe I needed a drink of water? I heard my parents talking in the living room. They were talking about me and my powers! I couldn’t believe they knew! I had been so careful!” Luis clenched his fists.

“They started talking about what a freak I was!” Luis shouted. “They said that they wished they had a normal kid! They said they didn’t know what they were going to do with me and they were talking about sending me away. They said I was going to be the government's problem now. Can you believe that?” Luis turned to Norman, and Raz could see tears in Luis’s eyes. Raz had no idea that ghosts could cry. “My parents were horrible people. They didn’t love me. They… they deserved what happened to them!”

The kids jumped as small fires spontaneously appeared around the room. Coraline managed to smother one of the small flames with her foot. 

They had to calm Luis down before he got out of control again.

“It’s okay, Luis,” Norman said as he placed a hand on the boys shoulder. Just like it had before, Norman’s touch seemed to instantly calm the boy. Luis blinked up at him in surprise. “You’re doing good. Just take a moment.”

“O-oh,” Luis said, his voice shaking. “I-I’m sorry, I told you I can’t control it.” Luis whipped his eyes and the fires vanished. The room was still warm, but not quite as uncomfortable as before.

Luis took a breath, which seemed strange for a being that didn’t need to breath, but maybe it was more out of habit than anything else.

“I- I’m okay,” Luis said mostly to himself. “What uhh… what was I saying?”

“You said something happened to your parents. Can you tell us what happened next?” Norman prompted calmly. He still hadn't taken his hand off of Luis’s shoulder.

“What do you think happened?” Luis said spitefully. “I had never been so mad! I ran to the attic and I- I-” Luis stopped, a blank expression expression on his face. “I don’t remember…” Luis said slowly as he squinted his eyes as if that would bring his memory back. “I just remember hating my parents. Then,” he said slowly, “then I remember the fire. I had never done anything that big before with my mind. It spread so quickly. I didn’t have any control. I didn’t want any control. I just wanted to burn everything.” Luis’s body shook as he let out a sob. “It was so hot and hard to breath. I heard my parents screaming. I… I don’t remember much after that. I remember thinking I didn’t want to die… and that was it.”

Tears streamed down Luis’s face as he buried his face in his hands. Norman placed his arm around the shaking Luis, but Norman seemed just as lost as the rest of them on how to help.

“Oh Luis…” Mabel breathed, her eyes shinning with tears

Raz’s heart ached for the boy. Luis could have easily been him or any other psychic child. Mistakes and injuries were common for children who developed their psychic powers early on, and the more powerful the psychic, the more likely it was they were to lose control. That’s why psychic children need a place like Whispering Rock to teach them to control their powers.

“See? Is that what you wanted?” Luis asked bitterly as he wiped the tears from his eyes. “How are you going to help me, huh? My life is just the story of a freak who killed his own parents, and you know what? They deserved to die!” he yelled. “This is all their fault because they couldn’t love me for who I was.”

Even Norman seemed taken aback by Luis’s violent rage. Luis had been so afraid of hurting them that it seemed out of character for him to be glad his parents had died. It didn’t make sense. And that wasn’t the only thing that didn’t make sense, because despite what Luis said about his parents dying in the fire, Raz remembered vividly that the news had said that his parents were alive. Maybe they had escaped without Luis knowing?

But one problem at a time.

Raz shook his head and stepped forward. “Luis, stop, just wait... I know what your parents said about you was bad, but they were probably just scared and didn’t know what to do. That’s no excuse, but you know they don’t deserve to die for that. And you’re not to blame either.  You didn’t understand your powers and you lost control. It… it happens,” Raz assured him. Believe it or not, I know how you feel.” Raz sighed. “I thought my dad didn’t understand me for the longest time, but the truth was he was just trying to do what was best for me.”

Luis glared. “No you don’t! How could you know how I feel?”

“Because-”

_Raz, don’t!_ Lili’s voice entered his head loudly.  _This isn’t what we were sent to find and you can’t blow our cover on the first day. We have to help Luis without telling him._

_But Lili, Luis was psychic!_ Raz said mentally.  _He was psychic and he was all alone! He never had another psychic to help him. You don’t know what that’s like, you grew up with this psychic stuff. I get him. If I had less control over my powers, I could have been him._

When Raz heard Lili’s voice in his head again, her tone was softer.  _You’re right, Raz, I don’t know what that’s like. I’m sorry. But we have a mission to complete and you can’t let your personal feelings get in the way. We can still help Luis without telling him, I know we can._

“You’re right, Luis, we can’t fully understand,” Lili broke in. “Yes, your parents were wrong and said some horrible things, but you can’t spend your whole life… afterlife, hating them for it. You're just hurting yourself now because you’re not able to let go.”

“I don’t care!” Luis shouted. “I hate them and I will always hate them! Mother told me that I have every right to hate them. Mother told that they were terrible parents and they deserve everything that happened to them!”

“Wait, your Mother?” Dipper asked. “What do you mean?”

Luis fixed Dipper with a glare. “I’m talking about my Other Mother, the one that really cares about me. Today I was all alone and helpless when the construction crew came back to my house. I never liked them being here but I couldn’t do anything about it. She told me I wasn’t alone and she gave me the strength to scare them off. She told me that my parents were terrible parents and they deserved to die. Before today, I just blamed myself for their deaths, but she helped me see the truth. She told me that they deserved to die. My new, better mother loves me for who I am.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Raz saw Coraline freeze and felt her mind go blank. Then, almost immediately, Coraline’s mind was flooded with panicked thoughts that rushed by so fast Raz couldn’t make them all out. He felt so dizzy and overwhelmed that he had to forcibly pull himself away from Coraline’s mind before his own thoughts suffocated amongst hers.  Before he completely pulled away, he heard something in Coraline’s mind that was filled with so much fear and dread he couldn’t help but shiver:

_Don’t be her! Please, please don’t let it be her!_

“Luis, I don’t understand. Is this mother a human or a ghost?” Norman asked.

Luis shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen her. She appeared as a voice in my head and I could feel her all around me giving me strength. She told me that she came here looking for her daughter that ran away. She said that she is a mother to all lost souls of children whose parents don’t appreciate them. I don’t know why her daughter ran away. I don’t know why anyone would want to hurt Mother like that.”

Raz glanced at Coraline who had gone completely rigid and her face was paler than the ghost’s. She looked like she was about to pass out. Carefully this time, Raz reached out to her mind.

_Oh god… it’s her. She’s looking for me. She’s going to find me. She’s actually going to find me!_

“Coraline, are you okay?” Raz asked.

Coraline jumped at the sound of her name and all she could do was stare at Raz with wide, fearful eyes.

Luis’s head snapped to the girl who had responded, his mouth falling open.

“Wait...” Luis said slowly. “You’re name is Coraline? You’re her! You’re Coraline!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys have no idea how many times i had to re-write this chapter. It doesn’t help that it was the longest chapter and editing it was really tough. But at least it’s done now!
> 
> Next chapters should be out much quicker because they are nowhere near as long as this one. I hope you guys liked this and it came out okay. Honestly, I spent so long with this chapter I can’t tell anymore. 
> 
> My tumblr: [ mysterykidscasefiles.](http://mysterykidscasefiles.tumblr.com/)  
> 


	13. Chapter 11: Other Mother

“It’s you!” Luis yelled. “You’re the girl Mother is looking for!” Luis advanced on a frozen Coraline. “How dare you run away from Mother! Mother loved you! Mother gave you everything! How dare you hurt her!”

Luis moved forward quickly, and every step he took left a scorch mark on the wooden floor.

Coraline was frozen in place, her eyes were wide as she helplessly stared Luis approach. She seemed lost. Her thoughts were racing so fast that Raz couldn’t make them out properly, but he knew none of them were about the angry ghost making his way towards her.

“I’m going to make you pay for what you did to Mother!” Luis screeched and flickered out of view.

“Coraline, move!” Wybie shouted.

Coraline stumbled backwards as if in a daze.

In a blur of red and pink, Lili ran forward and knocked Coraline out of the way just as the ghost appeared where she had been standing. Luis’s arm was outstretched in an attempt to grab her.

Lili and Coraline landed on the floor in a heap of limbs.

Raz rushed forward, placing himself in between the ghost and the two girls.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Luis, but you need to back off!” Raz shouted. He chanced a glance at his girlfriend and Coraline, who were both getting back on their feet.

“This is none of your business! This is between me and Coraline! She knows what she did!” Luis yelled.

“I didn’t do anything!” Coraline shot back. Coraline was steady on her feet again as she swiped her blue hair out of her eyes.

Raz was relieved that the frozen, scared Coraline he had seen moments ago had vanished, and was now replaced with a very pissed Coraline.

Coraline continued, her anger only increasing with each word. “That creature you’re calling your mother is nothing but a monster!”

“How dare you say that about Mother-”

“NO,” Coraline shouted, stepping forward and making Luis flinch. “How dare you defend her! She’s tricking you! It’s what she does! She finds kids that don’t feel loved by their own parents and she gives them everything they could ever want, but it’s all a lie! She’s using you!”

There was no hesitation in Luis’s retort. “Mother would never lie to me! She made me strong! She made me happy!”

“Well you don’t look happy to me!” Coraline spat back. “And she never lied to you, huh? Then I guess she didn’t leave out the fact that both your parents are still alive.”

Luis stopped cold. “Wh-what?”

Coraline paused, allowing her words to sink in. “Your parents are alive, Luis. The news said Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal are the ones who are paying the construction crew to fix the house. They’re living across town now. They’re fine.”

“But… but they got trapped in the fire!” Luis protested weakly. “I heard their screams.”

Coraline shook her head. “They must have escaped somehow.”

“No!” Luis stomped his foot. “Mother told me that their souls had left this world. Mother told me that it was okay that I killed them because they were horrible people, and horrible parents! She reminded me of how bad they were and how they didn’t deserve a child as special as me. She helped me remember all the times that they had ignored me and I realized that I had been blaming myself for nothing! They deserved to die!”

Raz didn’t know how Norman did it, but as soon as he stepped in front of Luis’s line of vision, the ghost seemed to turn his focus back onto him and his rage seemed to quell.

“Luis,” Norman said in a soft voice. “I don’t exactly know what’s going on, but I promise you that your parents are alive. Whoever this Mother is you keep talking about, there is a reason she was able to make you feel so strong enough to chase away those construction workers.”

“What do you mean?”

“You died thinking that you had hurt your parents. You blamed yourself and that made you feel terrible and small, right? Just like you were afraid you would hurt me?”

Luis shrugged and looked away. “I guess…”

“But then you said you met this Mother thing today. She convinced you that they were horrible parents and they deserved to die. She made you hate them and hating them was much easier then hating yourself. You grabbed onto that and let it fuel you.”

“She made me strong, Norman. ”

“You feel strong for a little bit, but how strong do you feel when you can’t control your powers?”

“I- I don’t know… “ Luis admitted shakily. “It’s scary.”

“Exactly. You have all this power but you don’t know how to use it. She gave you power, Luis, but that’s not the same thing as being strong. She’s trying to control you with lies and your own anger. Coraline is telling the truth, your parents are alive.”

“It doesn’t matter!” Luis shot back. “It doesn’t matter if they are alive or dead! They were still horrible parents and they hated me. The only Mother I need is my Other Mother!”

“But she’s not a real mother, Luis,” Coraline said. “Think about it. You only met her today, the same day that I arrived in Gravity Falls. She’s after me. In fact, I’m pretty sure she only used you in order to lure me in. She knows I wouldn’t be able to resist a haunted house. I’m sorry, Luis, but the Other Mother is just using you. She can’t… feed off of you, you’re already dead. It’s me she wants.”

“No, that’s not true! Mother does care about me!”

“Even though she lied to you and made you a dangerous, rampaging poltergeist?” Coraline challenged. “That doesn’t sound like she cares about you at all! You’re not really happier hurting people, are you?”

Luis flinched and wiped his eyes. “N-no.” He looked defeated and tired. The hair on the back of Raz’s neck had begun to relax and the attic was as cool as the night air. There was nothing left in the small boy before him. He just looked…. Lost.

“I- I just don’t understand.” Luis’s voice shook. “If Mother doesn’t care about me… then no one does.”

“That’s not true,” Norman said gently. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t care. And your parents… I can help you talk to them if you want. It’s up to you, but… it sounds like you guys might have a lot to say to each other.”

“It’s that great?” Mabel asked with a small smile. “Now that you know they aren’t gone, you must have lots of things you want to talk to them about.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Lili warned. “What if it doesn’t go the way he wants? Luis will just get pissed again and he can’t handle his emotions very well.”

“I- I don’t even know if I want to see my parents,” Luis said honestly. “Not after everything that happened.”

“Really? You don’t have anything you want to say to them?” Neil asked astonished. “You spent all this time thinking they were dead and you never thought of one thing you wanted to tell them?”

Luis fidgeted. “Well, I guess... I always did want to ask them why they hated me so much. Why they couldn’t just accept me.”

“All ghosts have a reason for sticking around,” Dipper said. “Maybe talking with your parents might help you move on?”

Luis frowned. “Well, what if I don’t want to move on?” He challenged half-heartedly. “What if I want to stay right where I am?”

“Forever?” Neil asked sadly. “Forever is a really long time.”

Luis’s stubborn expression fell from his face.

“Everyone needs to move on sometime,” Norman told him. “We can’t stay stuck in one place forever or we get sad. And sometime when we get sad, we get mean. You don’t have to move on right away, but talking with your parents might help you feel better.”

“You… you guys are really going to help me talk to them again? Even after I almost killed you?” Luis was looking at Norman, but he stole a concerned glance at Coraline. Coraline, however, didn’t miss the look.

Coraline let out a long sigh. “Look… I don’t blame you, okay? I’m not happy you attacked Norman, but I get why you were upset.  You’re only like this because your thoughts got twisted. She does that, the Other Mother, she twists the world around you and makes you believe in the wrong things. The important part is that you don’t let her win.”

Luis clenched his fists. “I still can’t believe that Mother would lie to me, but,” Luis hesitated, “I don’t think you’re lying to me either. I don’t know what to believe.”

“Luis, this is very important,” Coraline said in a different, more urgent voice. “I know you said you’ve never seen Her, and that she was just a voice to you, but do you know where she is? Is there some place where she lives in this house?”

Luis shrugged and wouldn’t look Coraline in her eyes.

“Luis, you need to understand. I’m not her daughter that just ran away, or whatever she told you. She tricked me and tried to kill me.”

Luis looked up in surprise, his eyes wide as they searched Coraline’s face. After a moment, his shoulders slumped downwards. “In the basement there is a small square door. I’m not sure what it was used for but I think that’s where she lives.”

The muscles in Coraline’s arm clenched as her hand formed a fist. “And do you have a key for this door?”

Luis shook his head. “No.”

“Good.” Coraline held out a stern finger. “Never open that door, do you understand me? No matter what happens or what she says.”

Luis nodded wordlessly, but Coraline did not relax.

_I guess this is really happening,_ Raz heard Coraline think. _She’s coming after me again. Well then… She better be ready for a fight!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s a short chapter but at least it didn’t take me months to get it out to you!
> 
> I also wanted to say that I’m a writer on the new Mystery Kids animatic project (episode 2) and if anyone is interested in getting involved we still need voice actors, editors and artists! Check out [ themysterykidsreturn](http://themysterykidsreturn.tumblr.com/) for more information! 
> 
>  
> 
> my tumblr [ mysterykidscasefiles.](http://mysterykidscasefiles.tumblr.com/)


	14. Chapter 12: Secrets

Coraline’s mind hadn’t stopped racing since she and the other kids left the mansion. Her feet seemed move on their own accord as she made her way down the street without even looking up to see if the other kids were following her.

Coraline didn’t understand, how was _She_ back? Coraline hid the key in a place where She would never find it. And now, even miles away from the Pink Palace, the Other Mother had hunted her down. How? And why wait for so long? None of this made sense, and yet, it felt… inevitable.

There was a part of her that always knew this was going to happen. The Other Mother was going to dig her sharp claws back into Coraline’s life and rip everything apart. She had always suspected that her hard earned victory had been nothing but a momentary reprieve.

Coraline’s eyes blurred and she attempted to blink away the newly formed tears. It didn’t matter how scared she was. She didn’t have time to cry. She had to stay sharp and ready for when the Other Mother came for her.  She was not going to lose.

“Coraline,” Wybie whispered from behind her, making her to jump. “What was that about? Is She coming back?” The fear in his voice reflected her own and the tightness in her chest grew.

Coraline ignored his question. Instead, she chose to stop in the middle of the street and turn to face the other kids.

“So, where are the Cardinals living now?” she asked in the strongest voice she could manage. “Do you guys know?” She asked the twins.

The other kids stopped as well, and the looks they were giving her caused her stomach to twist.

They were going to ask. She knew they would. Coraline hadn't given them a chance to do so yet. As soon as they had promised Luis that they would convince his parents to come and talk with him, Coraline had left the mansion as quickly as she could in order to avoid their questioning eyes.

She didn’t want to talk about the Other Mother with these kids. One, it wasn’t any of their business, and two, there was something about these kids that didn’t make sense. She wasn’t able to pinpoint what it was until she watched them all rushed up the stairs into the attic without hesitation, knowing full well that a dangerous ghost could be waiting for them. Most kids… normal kids… would’ve been headed in the opposite direction.

The other kids had said that they had never experienced anything paranormal, but only now could she see how obvious of a lie that had been.

Even now, Coraline could see the difference between how most kids, even most adults, would have reacted to a paranormal experience and how these kids were reacting. Most people would be overwhelmed and jittery after a dangerous encounter with a ghost, but these kids looked completely unshaken. Even Neil, who Coraline had pegged as someone who was scared easily, looked unperturbed as he walked beside Norman, giving concerned glances every few seconds.

Then there was Dipper, who had been so adimate that ghosts didn’t exist, but then had talked back to the spector as if this were a daily occurrence. Mabel had been even more nonchalant about the situation to the point where Coraline wondered if the girl even understood how much danger they had been in, but then she and Dipper would share a short but meaningful look, and it became clear that she not only understood as much as her brother, but the two of them were hiding something.

Lastly, there was Raz and Lili, who instead of looking shaken, wore thoughtful, serious expressions on their faces as they examined Coraline intensely. She could tell they were trying to piece everything together.

Wybie was the only one who looked rattled, but Coraline really couldn’t blame him. This was his first real paranormal experience. Sure, he had saved her from the Other Mother’s severed hand, which had been attacking her, and helped her seal away the Other Mother by throwing both her hand and the key down a deep well. However, that had been nothing compared to seeing a real life poltergeist. Wybie liked to live in the world of science where everything made sense to him. Paranormal stuff wasn’t his usual thing.

“Hold on a moment,” Lili said, making no attempt to hide her irritation. “I think you owe us an explanation.”

Coraline bristled, but she was prepared for this.

“No, what we have to do is get to the Cardinal’s house before it gets too late,” she insisted. “We need to tell them about Luis.”

Lili placed her hands on her hips. “Who is this Other Mother?” Lili demanded, getting straight to the point. “You said she tried to kill you and now she’s… manipulating Luis? But this is all a trap to get to you? What’s going on?”

Coraline sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “Look, you all heard what I said to Luis. There’s nothing more to discuss, and it’s none of your business. I don’t want anyone else involved, okay?”

“No, not okay!” Lili snapped. “This Other Mother sounds like a dangerous creature, and if she was able to twist Luis’s memories and emotions, or whatever you said, then who knows what else she can do? You need to tell us what you know.”

Coraline growled and stepped forward, but Lili easily held her own against the taller girl.

“I don’t need to do anything,” Coraline said between clenched teeth. “That creature is after me, not you guys. This. Is. None. Of. Your. Business.”

“And what if it does come after us?” Lili asks, jestering to the rest of the group. “Or what happens when it comes after you again? What are you going to do on your own?”

Coraline could feel the other kids staring at them, but she didn’t care. If she shut Lili down then maybe the other’s wouldn’t ask. “I beat her once I can beat her again! I don’t need some little kids thinking they can help.”

“Kids?” Lili growled. “We’re only a few years younger than you and I can guarantee you that Raz and I can handle a hundred times more than what you can, especially since the mere mention of this creature makes you cry.”

Coraline could feel face heat up as she glared at the smaller girl.

“I didn’t cry,” Coraline denied fiercely. “And the fact that you think you can handle Her so easily is exactly why I'm not telling you!”

“You don’t know what I can handle-”

“Lili, Coraline, please stop,” Raz broke in. “This fighting isn’t getting us anywhere.”

“You don’t get to talk!” Coraline snapped, rounding on Raz. “It was your fault Luis heard my name! Now he might tell Her where I am!”

“You can’t seriously blame Raz for that!” Lili yelled. “You’re the one that lied to us from the beginning and told us you had never seen anything supernatural before. If you had just told us about the Other Mother beforehand we could have been prepared-”

“Oh, don’t act so innocent,” Coraline said with a sneer. “You and your boyfriend practically ran up to that ghost. No one deals with the supernatural that easily their first time. How about you tell us about that, Lili?” Coraline accused. “You want me to confess what I’m hiding? Well, why don’t you go first?”

Lili continued to glare.

Coraline smirked triumphantly. “Thought so.”

“Coraline, hold on a minute,” Dipper said. “Lili has a point. We have a right to know what’s going on with this Other Mother creature. This isn’t just about you, it’s about everyone’s safety. If it comes after us, then don’t we deserve to know about it? And even if it just comes after you, we can help.”

“Yeah, we want to help,” Neil encouraged. “Just like we’re helping Luis.”

Coraline paused for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. “Listen,” Coraline said slowly. “You guys can yell at me all you want, but I’m not telling you anything more. You don't need to know about this because you don't need to be involved,” she stated firmly. “Now come on, we have to get to the Cardinal’s home before it gets too late.” With one last glare at Lili, the Coraline turned and stormed away.

“Jonesy, wait a minute!” Wybie called after her.

“Wait… Wybie, do you know anything about this?” Dipper asked the boy, causing him to freeze and turn around slowly.

Coraline thought about turning around and instructing Wybie not to tell them anything, but she knew if she tried to speak again, she wasn’t sure if she would yell or if she would cry. She just needed some space and time to think. If Motormouth wanted to tell them, then fine, he could do whatever he wanted.

“Can you tell us about this creature?” Raz asked.

There was a long pause and then: “S-sorry guys, I can’t,” Wybie said sheepishly. 

Lili’s eyes narrowed. “So... you do know something?”

Wybie sighed. “Guys, I really can’t. I’m sorry.”

The next thing Coraline heard from behind her was the sound of fast-paced footsteps coming towards her and Wybie’s voice shouting: “Jonesy, wait up!”

She slowed down enough to allow him to catch up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, it’s another short chapter but to make up for it the next one should be out in no more than two days (it’s already mostly done, I just need to do a few last minute edits). Now that I’m over the hardest part of Act 1 (which were those Luis scenes) the rest of act 1 should be a lot easier for me to get out to you quickly.
> 
> My tumblr: [ mysterykidscasefiles.](http://mysterykidscasefiles.tumblr.com/)  
> 


	15. Chapter 13: Bad Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you guys know, I started planning this fic back before the second season of Gravity Falls even came out, so some stuff with Gideon has changed for this crossover. It will eventually get itself back on track and line up with the canon of the show, but it’s going to diverge a little bit when it comes to Gideon.

The kids walked through the streets of Gravity Falls in tense silence. Their minds were either on what had happened back in the mansion with Luis, or the heated argument between Lili and Coraline.

Norman thought it was strange how well they had managed to work together when trying to calm Luis down, and how they had even put their own lives in danger to protect each other, but as soon as the danger passed, they devolved into arguing. The fight was mostly between Coraline and Lili, but Norman could tell Lili wasn’t the only one annoyed at Coraline’s secretiveness around the subject of the Other Mother. 

However, Norman couldn’t blame Coraline too much for not wanting to talk about it. It took him a long time before Norman felt ready to tell Neil what happened between Aggie and him.  Plus, Norman knew what it was like to want to keep something a secret. 

As he walked, Norman’s thoughts drifted back to Luis, alone in the huge mansion, probably still feeling lost, confused and conflicted about his parents. If Luis was going to have any kind of resolution so he can move on, he would have to talk with his parents.

Norman looked up to see Coraline and Wybie walking just ahead of them. Neil, Dipper and Mabel were beside him, and without looking back he knew Raz and Lili were walking behind them. Luis’s situation was unusual, but what was even more unusual were these kids. 

When they had first refused to leave Norman alone with Luis, Norman thought this would cause a problem. He was using to handling ghosts on his own, and he was worried the other kids would further irritate Luis and make everything worse. However, the kids surprised him. They had actually been willing to stop and listen to Luis. They didn't just freak out and come to their own conclusions, they actually listened. But it was more than that. They showed an honest desire to help Luis even though it would put them in more danger. They actually cared about him even though he was already dead. Norman could tell that he wasn’t just a ghost to them, he was a lost kid that needed help. 

But…  _ why _ didn’t they freak out? Why didn’t they escape when they had the chance? Why did they have enough presence of mind in a terrifying, abnormal situation, to stick around long enough to listen?

Something Coraline said during the fight between her and Lili had caught his attention, and would maybe even explained a few things:  _ No one deals with the supernatural that easily their first time.  _

Coraline had apparently dealt with a supernatural creature in the past, could it be possible that the other kids had too?

Norman glanced at the boy walking next to him. Dipper seemed to be lost in his own thoughts as he frowned to himself, and Norman was reminded of something Dipper had said in the mansion.

“Umm, Dipper?” Norman asked, causing the boy to blink in surprise as he came out of his thoughts and look over at him. “Back when we were talking to Luis, you said that ghosts always have a reason for sticking around. I was wondering... how did you know that?”

Dipper’s eyes widened before glancing at his sister. “W-Well isn't that what all the movies and ghost stories say?” Dipper said in a rush, nearly tripping over his words. “Ghosts are supposedly still on the earth because they can’t move on, right? They have to have a reason for being here. If that many people are saying it, there has to be some truth to it… right?”

“Oh, right…” Norman agreed, somewhat disheartedly. “That makes sense.”

Norman wasn’t sure what he expected or why he felt so disappointed. Had he hoped that Dipper had seen a ghost before other than Luis? And what would Norman even say if he had? 

“You did really a really good job, though,” Dipper said, causing Norman’s head to snap back up at him in surprise. “With the ghost, I mean. You didn’t seem scared at all. Didn’t he attack you before we all arrived?” 

Norman shrugged. “He was just upset and confused. He didn't mean it.”

Coraline glanced back at the group and slowed her pace until she was walking alongside them. She seemed to have calmed down since her fight with Lili. 

“He’s right, Cuz,” Coraline said. “The way you talked to the ghost was just…  I don’t know how to explain it. It was like you knew the right thing to say. I know we haven’t really been super close or spent a lot of time together, but I’ve never seen you more confident than when you were talking with Luis.”

“I just wanted to help him,” Norman explained, looking down at the ground shyly. “I knew he didn’t want to hurt us, not really.”

“Well, you were great,” Raz said, giving the boy a smile. 

“Thanks…” Norman said quietly. He glanced at Neil who was giving him a proud, knowing look. Norman could feel his face redden thanks to the unexpected compliments. Norman still wasn’t used to receiving compliments, especially about his ability to communicate with the dead. Even though the kids didn’t know the full extent of his abilities, it was still nice.

The kids finally reached a bus stop and took the bus across town. They didn’t say much to each other during the trip, but the tension between them had begun to dissolve. Coraline and Lili still weren't talking, but that was probably for the best for now.

When they arrived at the huge mansion, Norman couldn’t help but stare. It was even larger and more grandiose than the Cardinal’s previous estate. Mabel rang the doorbell and they only had to wait a few short seconds before a man in a suit answered. 

“Excuse me,” Dipper said, “Are Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal here? It’s very important.”

“I’m sorry, young man, but they are out for the evening.”

The kids glanced at each other worriedly.

“Can you tell us where they went? Please?” Coraline asked.

“I believe they went to that show they enjoy so much. The one with the young psychic.”

The twins clenched their fingers and their eyes narrowed in unison. “Gideon…” they muttered hatefully under their breaths with the exact same loathing tone. 

“Uh…” Wybie said, staring wide-eyed at the twins. “That was a little creepy how you guys did that. Probably the creepiest thing I saw all night, and compared to what we saw tonight, that’s pretty impressive.”

“Do you know when they will be back?” Norman asked the man. 

“They left an hour ago but they always stay for an extra reading. They won’t be back for a few hours. It would be best if you come back in the morning.”

“Okay, thank you!” Dipper said quickly. “Come on guys, let’s go.”

As they walked down the long driveway, Mabel turned to her brother. “We’re going to have to go see Gideon now, aren’t we?” She seemed to be dreading the answer. 

“Yep,” Dipper said, “but hopefully we won’t have to actually talk with him. By the time we get there his show will probably be close to ending. Hopefully we can catch them leaving without having to go inside.”

“So what’s with this Gideon guy?” Raz asked. “You mentioned he’s fake and your worst enemy, but what’s the story behind that?”

“It’s a long story,” Dipper waved him off. 

“Well, we have time,” Raz encouraged as they stepped off the driveway and started walking down the dirt road. The rest of the kids looked at Dipper and Mabel expectantly. 

Dipper glanced at Mabel who shrugged. “Well,” Dipper began. “We met him not long after we first came here in the beginning of the summer. He wanted to date Mabel and he wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

Mabel crossed her arms over her chest. “He still won’t, the creepy little jerk.”

“He hates me,” Dipper continued, “and tried to steal the Mystery Shack from Grunkle Stan.”

“Steal it? Why?” Neil asked. 

Dipper shrugged. “I'm not really sure. He’s obsessed with it, and us, especially Mabel. A few weeks ago, Gideon was arrested. He was busted by our Grunkle in front of the town when he proved that Gideon was a fake psychic who had been recording everyone in town with secret, hidden cameras. The problem was, Gideon had a good lawyer and he’s really good at getting people to like him. The charges against him were dropped when he convinced the court that someone had planted those cameras on him and tried to frame him.” Dipper sighed in frustration. “The town is so stupid they bought the lie too! Almost everyone accepted Gideon back with open arms. I guess they would rather believe that Gideon was framed over the idea that their precious Gideon was a liar.”

“Wow, that sucks,” Lili said. “Fake psychics piss me off.”

“Is there anything that doesn’t piss you off?” Dipper joked.

The glare Lili sent Dipper was so deadly Norman was surprised he wasn’t seeing Dipper’s ghost.

Dipper laughed uncomfortably. “O-Okay then…” He glanced away from her nervously. 

Luckily, the Cardinal’s new mansion was only a thirty minute walk to Lil' Gideon's Tent 'O' Telepathy. By the time they got there, the show seemed to be over. They could hear an enthusiastic applause from the audience that seemed to go on indefinitely.

“Do you guys know what the Cardinals look like?” Neil asked as people finally began filing out of the tent, excitedly talking about the show.

Mabel nodded her head emphatically. “Yeah, I’m good with faces and they’re on the news and in the paper a lot. I’ll be able to find them.”

“Hold on, what are we going to say to them?” Wybie asked. “We can't just tell them-”

“There they are!” Mabel shouted, pointing to a middle aged couple.


	16. Chapter 14: Lil’ Gideon

Wybie couldn’t be the only one that saw the huge hole in their plan.

He took a step closer to Coraline to avoid a large family that had just exited the Tent of Telepathy who weren’t looking where they were going as they chatted excitedly about the show.

“How are we going to convince them we’re telling the truth?” Wybie asked while raising his voice to be heard over the crowd. “We can’t just go up to them and tell them that we spoke with their dead son.”

“Maybe we can,” Coraline said with a shrug, her eyes following the Cardinals as they exited the tent. The couple stopped a few feet away from the crowd and looked back at the tent, as though they were waiting for something.  

“They obviously believe in psychics,” Coraline continued. “Maybe talking to the ghost of their son isn’t that big of a stretch for them?”

“The news did say that the construction crew thought the mansion was haunted,” Raz supplied. “That might make our story more credible.”

“Or they could think that we were the ones playing a prank on the construction crew and that we’re trying to trick them too,” Dipper said.

Coraline frowned, but Wybie could tell she was considering his point. “Do you have a better idea, Pines?”

“I just think we should approach this carefully,” Dipper said. “We have to be prepared for them not to believe us right away. Most people don’t when it comes to strange things like this.”

Wybie found Dipper’s wording odd, almost like he was speaking from experience.

“The only proof we have is Luis,” Dipper continued. “And he is back in the mansion. We have to find a way to convince them to come back there with us. On the way here I’ve been trying to think of what we could say to convince them, but-”

“Whatever we plan on doing, we have to hurry,” Raz interrupted suddenly. “It looks like they are heading back inside the tent!”

They all turned around, and sure enough, just as the last of the crowd cleared out of the tent, Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal began walking back inside.

“Let’s hurry!” Coraline urged and the kids quickly followed as she ran after the couple.

“Mrs. Cardinal! Mr. Cardinal! Wait! We need to talk to you!” Mabel yelled after them when they were close enough.

Startled, the couple whirled around. Their eyes grew large as they watched the herd of children approach them.

When they stopped in front of the couple, Wybie got a better look at their faces. Mrs. Cardinal looked exactly like her son down to her oval face, rounded, upturned nose, and a splattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks. The only differences were that her eyes and hair were a dark brown color. It was Mr. Cardinal that had the blonde curly hair and blue eyes that Luis inherited. The man’s face, however, was stern and sharp; almost the complete opposite of his son.

“We need to talk to you about something important,” Coraline said as she tried to catch her breath.

“Who are you kids?” Mr. Cardinal asked in confusion.

The kids glanced at each other. Wybie didn’t have the words. How could he even begin to explain?

And then, to Wybie’s astonishment, Norman was the one to speak up.

“I know you don’t know us,” Norman said slowly. “I know this will probably come as a shock, but we went to your old house tonight and talked with the spirit of your son.”

Mrs. Cardinal’s face paled, making her look ethereal and ghost-like in the artificial glow from the tent.

Mr. Cardinal stood up to his full height. “What did you say?” he demanded, his voice low as he clenched his jaw.

“I know this is a lot to take in,” Norman continued with a surprising amount of composure. “But we’re telling the truth. We talked with your son’s spirit tonight. He was very upset and he seemed to believe that you had died in the fire. We told him-”

“What the hell is this?” Mr. Cardinal demanded angrily, cutting Norman off. “What they hell do you think you’re playing at?”

Norman took a nervous step back.

“Andrew…” Mrs. Cardinal called, her voice airy and far away.

“How dare you come up to us and talk about- about our son-”

“I-I’m sorry,” Norman stuttered, trying to recover. “I-I know it’s hard to believe-”

“Do you think this is funny?” Mr. Cardinal shouted. “Is this some sort of game?”

Norman took another step back and Wybie couldn’t help but compare the two Normans he had seen tonight. There was the Norman that has walked up to Luis with no hesitation and called a dangerous ghost’s bluff, and then there was this Norman, who had backed down fearfully as soon as an adult started yelling at him.

Not that Wybie blamed him, being the focus of Mr. Cardinal’s anger must have been frightening.

“Hold on a second,” Coraline said, stepping forward. Mr. Cardinal’s angry gaze fell onto her, but she didn’t flinch.  “We’re not trying to trick you! We all saw Luis’s ghost tonight. We went to your old mansion and we talked with him.”

“You-you really spoke with him?” Mrs. Cardinal breathed softly, her eyes filling with tears.

“Of course not, Jan! They’re trying to trick us!” Mr. Cardinal’s voice boomed loudly.

“What could we possibly gain from tricking you?” Dipper challenged in exasperation. “We really did talk to Luis. He thought you were dead, but we told him you were still alive. He wants to talk with you and we said we would help him.”

“Enough of this!” Mr. Cardinal yelled, throwing his hands in the air and stepping forward threateningly. “You trespassed on our old easte. That’s enough to get the police involved. If you don’t leave this second, I’m going to call them right now.”

Norman shook his head. “No, I know this sound completely crazy, but Luis needs you.” Norman had found his voice again and it rang with determination. “He thought you died in the fire and for a long time he blamed himself. We tried talking to him, but he needs his parents. He needs to know that you’re alive and that you still love him.”

Mrs. Cardinal let out a quiet sob.

“I know this is hard to hear,” Norman continued, his voice softer. “But there has to be some part of you that knows that he’s not completely gone. You’re his parents and he still needs you. All I’m asking is for you to just go back to your old house, just for a few minutes. Please…”

Mr. Cardinal placed his arm around his wife’s shoulder. “I’m not listening to this anymore and I won’t let you make my wife cry. I’m calling the cops.”

Wybie looked at the other kids in panic. WHat were they going to do now? What would happen if they couldn’t convince the Cardinals’ to go back to their old mansion? Would Luis go back to attacking people? Would Luis believe them if they tried to explain why his parents wouldn’t visit, or would he just assume that his parents were dead and think they had been lying to him?

“Now hold on there a minute folks,” a southern voice called. “I couldn’t help but overhear your little dilemma.”

A boy with perfectly combed white hair, chubby cheeks and a blue suit emerged from the tent. Wybie recognized the white-haired kid’s face from the posters. He also didn’t miss Dipper and Mabel standing a little closer and how they eyed the new kid angrily.

“Oh, Gideon!” Mr. Cardinal said with relief as she quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I’m so glad you’re here. These kids are trying to tell us that they spoke to the spirit of our son! Can… can you tell us if this is true?”

Gideon’s eyes fell on the group of kids, his eyes lingering a little longer on Norman, and then came to rest on the twins.

“Why, hello there my Mabel Pie, it’s been ages, hasn’t it? I’m so sorry I didn’t call or write as soon as I was proven innocent. I’ve been terribly busy, you see.”

Mabel made a face. “That’s okay. I’ve been enjoying the lack of creepy stalkers in my life.”

The white haired kid didn’t seem to hear Mabel’s response as his eyes landed on the male twin.

“And Dipper, it’s been too long,” he said with false politeness.

“Not long enough,” Dipper grumbled under his breath. Wybie noticed Dipper’s fingers seemed to be digging into his palm.

“Actually, I’ve been hoping you would stop by,” Gideon said brightly. “My library is a little light and I’ve been needin’ to get back that book you borrowed.”

Dipper tensed further, and surprisingly, so did Mabel.

“I don’t have it,” Dipper said sharply. “You must have lost it when you were arrested. You know, that day you were finally exposed for the fraud you are.”

“Gideon is not a fraud!” Mrs. Cardinal defended with a high pitched voice. “He’s a true psychic! We get private readings from Little Gideon and he’s always right!”

“Now, now, it’s quite alright,” Gideon soothed. “Everyone is entitled to their opinions, no matter how wrong they are.” The white haired boy looked at Norman again. “I see we have some new guests in town. I hope you will all come and see my show. For free, of course. Any friend of  _my_   Mabel is a friend of mine.”

“I’m not yours!” Mabel shot back in irritation.

“No thanks, we’re not a fan of fake psychics,” Lili said in distaste.

“Dear girl, how can you be so sure I’m a fake?” Gideon asked smoothly.

Lili fixed Gideon with a glare so intense that his confident, well-practiced smirk was wiped from his face.

“Trust me, I  _know_ ,” Lili said in an icy tone.

“Well, isn’t that… charming,” Gideon said, recovering quickly. “Let’s get back to the problem at hand. Mr. Cardinal, you said that these kids are claiming to have spoken with your son who has passed?”

Mr. Cardinal nodded. “Yes, but that’s impossible! Is… isn’t it?”

Gideon put on a thoughtful expression. “Now, Mr. Cardinal, nothing is really impossible. I couldn’t help but overhear this boy’s speech… I’m sorry, what is your name?” Gideon asked Norman.

“Umm…” Norman glanced at Dipper who looked like he wanted to hit the so called psychic. “Norman.”

Gideon nodded. “Norman’s speech was very convincing. I’d say it sounds like he knows what he’s talking ‘bout.  I can also sense that none of these kids are trying to deceive you. Perhaps you should listen to what Norman has to say?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Wybie saw Dipper’s mouth fall open.

“You’re helping us?” Dipper exclaimed. His eyes narrowed. “Why?”

Gideon straightened his suit. “Because I know it’s the truth. I can see what others can’t see… and as it turns out, I’m not the only one.” He looked to Norman. “Go ahead, Norman. Tell the Cardinals what you came here to tell them, or better yet, maybe we can show them?”

“What are you talking about, Gideon?” Dipper asked suspiciously.

“Come, come,” Gideon waved his hands with a bright smile. “I may have a solution to our problem.”

The Cardinals followed Gideon without hesitation. Wybie looked at Dipper who grumbled something under his breath and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Mabel’s frown looked strange on her normally perpetually happy face as she shrugged helplessly at her brother. Dipper nodded reluctantly.

“Looks like we don’t have a choice,” Dipper muttered.

They followed Gideon into his show tent and then into an unnecessarily dark room in the back that smelled heavily of incense. There was a round table in the center of the room and a circle of white candles on top of the table.

“Come, sit, make yourself comfortable,” Gideon encouraged.

“What’s going on here, Gideon?” Dipper asked. “What are you up to?”

“Just trying to help, friend,” Gideon said brightly. “You want the Cardinals to talk to their departed son, am I right? Well, what’s a better way to do that than with a seance?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took a little longer to come out than I thought. The next chapter should be out very soon though, since it’s pretty much all done and I think it’s one of my favorites so far. 
> 
> My tumblr: [ mysterykidscasefiles.](http://mysterykidscasefiles.tumblr.com/)  
> 


	17. Chapter 15: The Seance

Norman stiffened beside Dipper. 

“A- A seance?” Norman asked fearfully. “Do you really think that’s a good idea?”

“I think it's the best way to connect these fine folk to their son again,” Gideon said confidently. “And that’s what y'all wanted, right?”

Dipper moved closer to Gideon so he could whisper without anyone else hearing. 

“Since when can you do a seance? I thought you didn’t have the journal?” Dipper asked through gritted teeth, speaking low enough that only Gideon could hear him.

“I don’t,” Gideon whispered back, “but only an idiot wouldn’t copy down a few useful spells in case something happened to the journal. I can’t be completely dependent the journal, that would just be  _ pathetic _ .”

He gave Dipper a nasty look and Dipper’s stomach lurched uncomfortably. 

“But, I’m sure you know that, Pines.”  Gideon muttered before moving forward and pulling out a chair. “Here Mabel, my sweet, why don’t you sit next to me?”

Mabel’s nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Alright, let's get this over with!" Coraline announced loudly as she occupied the chair Gideon was holding out for Mabel. Gideon frowned at Coraline, but the girl ignored him.

Coraline winked at Mabel and patted the chair next to her. Mabel mouthed a 'thank you' and sat down next to Coraline while Dipper occupied the other seat beside his sister.

Gideon unhappily sat on the other side of Coraline and the Cardinals sat next to him. Raz and Lili occupied the seats next to Dipper while Wybie, Neil and Norman finished off the circle. 

“Now, to begin this seance we all must join hands. Come on everybody, don’t be shy,” Gideon encouraged. 

Norman glanced at Mrs. Cardinal awkwardly before joining hands with her. Dipper guessed Mabel was twice as relieved that Coraline had taken the bullet for her so she didn’t have to sit next to Gideon.

“Now, I need y’all to clear your minds and think of nothing other than Luis Cardinal. Jan, Andrew, I need you to focus on the most powerful memory you have of your son. Everyone else, concentrate on the last thing you remember of his spirit.”

Gideon took a deep breath in and let it out. “Now, I will begin. We are seeking the spirit of Luis Cardinal. Come Luis and communicate with us. Age nunc, daemonium a regno spirituali. Per te venire per virtutem horum verborum hic elementorum in porta nisl. Iam mihi per vos nomen tuum verum!”

Dipper’s eyes widened as he looked over at Gideon. That was definitely a summoning spell of some kind.

“We are seeking the spirit of Luis Cardinal,” Gideon repeated. “Come Luis and communicate with us.” 

Dipper glanced around at the table of people, many of whom Dipper had just met today. Gideon, the Cardinals, Mabel, Neil, Norman and Raz all had their eyes closed and seemed to be concentrating deeply. Wybie had his eyes open and was frowning skeptically, Lili looked impatient, and Coraline was watching their environment just as Dipper was.

Coraline’s eyes met Dipper’s and she shrugged. 

Nothing was happening but Dipper knew that didn’t mean it hadn't worked. It sounded like Gideon had done the spell correctly, and he doubted Gideon would have tried it if he didn’t think it would work. Gideon hated looking foolish, and Dipper knew Gideon wouldn't play his cards if he didn't have a good hand.

“We are seeking the spirit of Luis Cardinal,” Gideon repeated for a third time. “Come Luis and communicate with-” 

Gideon stopped, his eyes snapping open and landing on Norman. Everyone looked up at Gideon's pause in speech and followed the direction of his eyes in the dim room.

Norman sat with his eyes closed and his back hunched. He was shaking uncontrollably; his muscles spasming unnaturally.

"Norman?" Neil asked fearfully, pulling on their connected hands.

"Don't break the circle!" Gideon warned. "Someone is trying to contact us through Norman."

"Did you know this was going to happen?" Coraline accused. She stood up, still gripping Mabel and Gideon's hands. "Norman? Cuz, are you okay?"

Norman gritted his teeth, a pained expression on his face. 

"We- we have to stop!" Neil shouted shakily. "It's hurting him!"

"If you break the circle there is no telling what will happen," Gideon said calmly. "It's best if we just wait."

Dipper glared at Gideon heatedly. "You could have told us. Norman didn't agree to this."

"N-no!" Norman growled out, his face still contorted in pain. "I-It's okay. It's just Luis. He’s trying to talk. I-I want to help him."

"You're still conscious?" Gideon asked in surprise. "How is that possible?" 

"Is... Is Luis there? Is my son there?" Mrs. Cardinal asked as she squeezed Norman’s hand.

Norman barely managed to nod his head before his whole body went slack and his eyes closed. 

“Norman? Norman!” Neil called worriedly.

“What’s happening, Gideon?” Mrs. Cardinal asked, almost in hysterics. “What happened to Luis?”

Dipper gripped Mabel’s hand tighter. Mrs. Cardinal was asking the wrong question. Luis was already dead. There wasn’t much that could hurt him now. The real question was what happened to Norman. Was he going to be okay?

To Dipper’s relief Norman opened his eyes. He stared around the table blankly, taking in their faces silently. 

“Norman! You’re okay!” Neil exclaimed. “We were really worried.”

“You okay there, Norman?” Raz asked. “You looked like you were in pain.”

“Are you guys… talking to me?” Norman asked slowly. 

It was Norman’s voice, but the fluctuations in speech and mannerisms were all wrong. Dipper quickly realized what was happening. 

“We were  _ trying  _ to talking to Norman,” Coraline said, “but you’re not Norman, are you?”

Norman shook his head. “No, I’m Luis, and I- I know you guys, don’t I? You’re the ones that came to my house. You told me my parents were alive.”

“Luis?” Mrs. Cardinal called, her voice wavering. “Luis, sweetie, is that you?”

Luis, who was in Norman’s body, turned to his right to see his mother looking at him with wide-tear filled eyes. 

“M-Mom?” Luis’s voice- which was also Norman’s voice- cracked slightly as he took in the sight of his mother. “Mom! Dad! You’re okay!” 

Luis moved to stand up, but Mrs. Cardinal held him firmly in place with their joined hands. “Don’t move sweetheart, we have to keep holding hands.”

Luis blinked down at their hands and then up at the rest of the people sitting around the circle. 

“You... you called me so you could talk to me?” Luis asked in confusion. “How did you do that?”

“Hold on a minute,” Mr. Cardinal said sternly. “As far as we know, we could be still talking to that young man, Norman. How do we know this is real?”

“Andrew, this is our son! Can’t you tell?”

“No Jan, I can’t. This kid could easily be acting.”

“Are you kidding me?” Lili snapped. “Didn’t you just see Noman get possessed? I don’t know anyone that can shake like that on purpose. Besides, I thought you trusted that Gideon kid? He’s the one that did this.”

Mr. Cardinal hesitated and glanced at Gideon. “I do trust Gideon, but you kids could be tricking him too. I just need a little proof.” He looked at his son imploringly. “Please, if you really are Luis than just tell me something that only he would know.”

Luis’s hesitated. “I- I’m not sure…” he began nervously, “I don’t know what I can say…” He looked searchingly to his mother’s tear-stained face and then back to his father. “W-well, last year on my birthday you told me I could be homeschooled. It was the best birthday present I ever got. Those private school kids never understood me and they always treated me like I was a freak.”

Mr. Cardinal shook his head. “That's not enough. What were my exact words to you, Luis?”

Luis bit his lip. “I think they were... that you were worried about me. You said… that you didn’t understand what was going on, but you understood that I wasn’t happy. You just wanted me to be happy.”

Mr. Cardinal’s eyes were glistening. “Yes, exactly.”

“How did I not remember that?” Luis asked himself. “I had forgotten that. The Other Mother… she made me forget that. How?”

“Who are you talking about, sweetie?” Mrs. Cardinal asked.

“N-no one.” Luis shook his head. “She doesn’t matter now. I’m just glad to see you guys again. I… I thought you died in the fire.” Tears started to make a path down Luis’s -Norman’s- face.

Mrs. Cardinal squeezed her son's hand, her words came out in broken sobs. “I miss- I miss you so m-much Luis.”

Luis swallowed thickly. “I miss you too, mom.”

“I don’t understand. Why did you think we died?” Mr. Cardinal asked. “We were at the Opera on the night of the fire. Don’t you remember that?”

Dipper blinked. Wait, that didn’t make sense. 

Luis had the same reaction as his eyebrows shot up in confusion. “N-no I don’t remember that. That night I went downstairs and I heard you talking about me.”

Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal looked at each other. “Maybe you were dreaming, sweetie?” Luis’s mother suggested. “We weren’t there at all that night.”

“But... that’s not- no!” Luis shouted as he got to his feet, his hands still interlocked with his mother and Neil. “That’s not possible! Why are you lying?” he demanded. “I heard what you were talking about that night!”

“Luis, please sit down!” Mrs. Cardinal pleaded. “Talk to us. What do you mean?”

“I heard you!” Luis accused. “I heard you say you knew about my powers. I heard you say that you were going to send me away!”

“Wait, what powers?” Mr. Cardinal asked. “What are you talking about?”

Luis gaped at his father. “M-my powers that I tried to hide from you!”

His parents just stared at him blankly. 

“I could move stuff with my mind and- and start fires. You guys were talking about it that night!” Luis insisted angrily. 

The table in front of Dipper began to shake violently. He leaned away as the candles on the table flickered and then grew brighter. 

“You called me a freak!” Luis continued, his whole body trembling. “You said you wished you had a normal child and that you were going to send me away!” 

Dipper couldn’t help but worry about Norman and the stress Luis was probably putting on his body. Could being possessed by a ghost hurt you? Mabel had been possessed once, but she had been unconscious at the time from overdosing on Smile Dip. Gideon had seemed surprised that Norman was conscious through the possession, and Dipper wondered if that was a bad thing, especially since the possession seemed painful.

“Luis, what are you talking about?” his mother asked, pulling his hand down and forcing him to sit on the chair next to her. “You had powers? I don’t understand.”

Luis wiped the tears on his cheeks off with the sleeve of his shirt. “Y-yes, they started when I was nine.”

“So you were like Gideon then?” Mr. Cardinal confirmed. “Luis, we had no idea.”

“Sweetie, why didn’t you tell us?” Mrs. Cardinal asked softly. “Why would you keep that from us?”

Luis shook his head. “Because I knew what you would say! You always wanted me to be perfect. We were under a lot of pressure to be a perfect family to compete with the Northwests. I always had to get the best grades and be in as many clubs as possible. If I didn’t, then the Northwest's would talk and then everyone would know. There was no way I could tell you about my powers. It was so hard to hide them at school that everyone started talking talking about my weirdness. The kids in my school somehow knew I was different and hated me for it.”

“So that’s why you wanted to be homeschooled,” his father said. “It makes sense now.”

“I knew no one would understand, especially you guys.” Luis looked down at the table to avoid his parent’s eyes. “Your reputation was important and I didn’t want to ruin that.”

“Now that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!” Luis looked up to see his father staring angrily down at him. “We cared about our reputation, yes. We put a lot of pressure on you, yes. But don’t think for one minute that we loved our reputation more than you. When we saw how unhappy you were, and even though we didn’t understand why, we homeschooled you just like you wanted. We did whatever it took to help you. Did people talk? Of course they did, but people can go screw themselves! You’re our son and you will always come first.”

“I… I guess I didn’t remember that…” Luis said softly. 

“Oh, Luis, this is all our fault!” Mrs. Cardinal sobbed. “We pushed you too hard. We made you feel like you couldn’t tell us anything.”

Luis shook his head. “No, it’s my fault. I’m the freak. I’m the one that started that fire. I… I didn’t mean to, but it’s my fault I died.” Silent tears streamed down Luis’s face. “I thought you hated me. I thought you were ashamed of me. I was so stupid.”

“Baby, please don’t cry,” Mrs. Cardinal said through her own tears. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Luis looked to his parents solemnly. “If I had only told you guys about my powers then none of this would have happened.”

“Don’t worry about that now,” Mr. Cardinal said. “Just know that we would have accepted you no matter what and that we love you.”

“Th-thank you Dad, Mom, I’m so sorry. I don’t understand what I thought I saw that night… but you really weren’t there were you?”

Mrs. Cardinal squeezed his hand. “We wish we were. We could have helped you-”

“No, I’m glad you weren’t,” Luis said shakily. “I’m glad I didn’t hurt you when I lost control.”

Luis looked over at Coraline. “The Other Mother was only around for a day and my head got so messed up. I don’t know how she did it, but she must have messed with my mind. She made me forget everything I loved about my parents and made me focus on one horrible thing that wasn’t even true. It made me angry which made me strong, but I didn’t feel like myself anymore. I’m really sorry.”

“Your parents love you, Luis,” Coraline said quietly. “You’re not the only kid in the world to forget that, trust me.”

“Yeah… Coraline’s right, you're definitely not the only one,” Raz agreed. “Sometimes we get so caught up in our own problems we feel like we’re on our own, but we’re not. You’re powers may have made you feel alone, Luis, but they don’t make you a freak.” 

Luis nodded. “I-” He began, but then winced and doubled over in pain. “Ow! No... wait!” 

“It’s been too long,” Gideon said suddenly. “Luis can’t inhabit Norman’s body any longer. He’s not even supposed to go this long.”

“What?” Coraline yelled. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“It wouldn’t have mattered, there was nothing we could have done,” Gideon said calmly. “Norman has to come back on his own.”

“Norman?” Neil asked. “Norman? Can you hear me, buddy?”

Norman’s body began to shake and he closed his eyes in pain.

“Wait, wait, please! I’m not ready to leave!” Luis plead desperately.

“Luis? Luis?” Mrs. Cardinal called in panic. “Please don’t leave, Luis. Please, we need you to stay.”

“I- I can’t-” He doubled over, crying out in agony. “Norman! He’s… he’s trying to give me more time with you, but-”

“Hold on, is he supposed to do that?” Wybie asked, his eyes shifting from Norman to Gideon. 

“I don’t think he is!” Dipper shouted. “Norman, stop it, you need to come back now!”

“No!” Mrs. Cardinal shouted, pulling on Norman’s hand. “No, don’t you take my son away from me!”

“Hey, that’s not fair!” Raz shouted as he stood up, still gripping Lili and Dipper’s hand. “You can’t ask Norman to do anymore!”

“Luis, we love you!” Mrs. Cardinal shouted again. “Don’t leave us, please!”

“Luis, let Norman go!” Coraline demanded. “You’ll hurt him!”

Luis shook his head. “I can’t… I can’t think! Norman says it’s okay, but… but he’s in pain!” He turned to his parents, his eyes glistening. “I’m sorry mom, dad, but I don’t want to hurt him. I’m going to leave. I love you both.”

“No, Luis!”

Suddenly, Norman’s body seized one last time before he slumped over, his eyes closed, his body completely still. 

“Norman!” Neil shouted.

Both Coraline and Mabel bolted from their seats.

“Norman, are you okay? Norman!” Mabel yelled worriedly as she kneeled down next to him and shook his arm. 

Coraline checked his pulse on his neck. “He just barely has a pulse, but he’s not-”

Norman suddenly gasped for air, sucking oxygen into his lungs greedily. He was even paler than usual, and the way he continued to gasp for air made it seem like he had just surfaced after spending too long underwater. He coughed and gripped the edge of the table to steady himself.  His eyes filled with tears as he continued to fight for air. 

“It’s okay, Norman,” Neil said patting his back. “Just breathe, everything’s fine, just breathe.”

Norman shook his head. “Luis!” he gasped out, but then clutched his chest in pain.

“Cuz, relax,” Coraline ordered while placing a hand on his shoulder. “Luis is fine. Just give yourself time to recover.”

Mabel took Norman’s hands in her own. “You’re freezing, Normy! And you’re shaking a little,” she added a little quieter. She rubbed his hands between her own to warm them, and wouldn't let him pull away when he tried. 

Norman’s breathing slowed as his senses seemed to return to him. He looked frantically around the room, but what he saw seemed to disappoint him. 

“Luis is gone?” Norman asked, an unreadable expression upon his face.

“The circle is broken and the seance is over,” Gideon explained. “Luis has probably gone back to where you first met him, or perhaps he has managed to crossover. If he is still on earth, he's lost his anger so he's most likely not a poltergeist anymore, which means we won’t be able to see or hear him.”

“So we'll just have to do another seance to talk to him again, right?” Mrs. Cardinal said hopefully. 

“N-no, you can’t do that,” Norman protested weakly. 

Dipper noticed the haze in Norman’s eyes and the slump of his posture. Norman looked like he was going to pass out at any moment.

“That seance took a lot out of Luis,” Norman explained, his voice just barely audible to Dipper who was across the table. “I had to give him some of my strength so he could continue for as long as he did. If you summon him again… there might be nothing left of him.”

“So what are we supposed to do then?” Mrs. Cardinal challenged. “Just accept that I’m not going to talk to my son ever again?”

“Isn’t that what most people do when their loved ones die?” Lili asked. 

“Luis deserves to crossover,” Norman explained. “He doesn’t belong here anymore, not really.”

“But I’m not ready for my son to leave! He’s too young!” Mrs. Cardinal cried shrilly. 

“Jan, please.” Mr. Cardinal tried to comfort as he placed an arm around her. 

Norman fixed Mrs. Cardinal with sad, weary eyes. “The dead have a hard time letting go,” Norman said carefully, “but it’s the living that hold on even tighter. You have to let him go, or you will only hurt him.” Norman grimaced and clutched his chest again. After a few more steadying breaths, he looked up. “He loves you very much... I felt that. I could feel everything that he did. And now he knows without a doubt that you love him too.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I hope you liked this one! Let me know what you thought!


	18. Chapter 16: The Walk Home

Norman’s head was fuzzy and his whole body ached. He had never been possessed before and he hoped it would never happen again. It had been the most unpleasant feeling he had ever experienced. Allowing a ghost to share his body was like being squeezed into a tiny bucket of ice water where he couldn’t move or breathe, and it was so cold it burned.

Neil gripped Norman’s arm and helped him onto his feet.  Norman’s legs shook underneath him and he found himself unable to stand without leaning on his best friend. Mabel took his other side and wrapped her arm around him so she could hold him up. They were both so warm that it was only now that Norman realize how cold he still was and how deeply the chill had settled into his bones. 

Norman didn’t remember much from what was said as they exited Gideon’s tent. The conversation he had with the Cardinals was still playing through his mind. He hoped Luis had be able to crossover, and that Luis wouldn’t let his parent’s protests keep him on earth any longer. Norman promised himself he would go back to the Cardinal’s old mansion another night to see if Luis was still there. 

He glanced at the kids beside him who were unusually quiet as they walked through town. He wondered what they were thinking about, and if it involved him. He did just get possessed in front of everyone; that wasn’t something that happened to most kids. It was likely the other kids just thought Luis had possessed Norman at random, and didn’t think much of it, but it was also likely they were remembering how Norman took the lead and insisted that he was going to help Luis. 

Norman was had already been known as the freaky ghostboy once in his life, he really didn’t want to be known as that again. 

“Ugg!” Coraline shouted in frustration. “I’m still pissed at the Cardinals! They didn’t care about Norman at all! They just wanted to use him to talk to their son!”

“I guess it makes sense, Jonesy,” Wybie offered. “After all, Norman is just a stranger to them, and they thought they would never get to speak to their son again.”

“It’s a good thing Luis is a good person,” Raz said. “He knew he was hurting Norman so he decided to leave on his own.”

“Are you sure you’re okay, Normy?” Mabel asked, squeezing his arm slightly. 

“Yeah, I’m okay,” Norman answered tiredly. He wasn’t used to people being so close to him, and Mabel’s touchyness would usually make him uncomfortable, but tonight he was too tired to care. “I just need to rest a bit.”

“Were you conscious through that entire thing? What did it feel like?” Dipper asked eagerly from the other side of his sister.

“Leave Norman alone,” Coraline answered for him. “He’s practically dead on his feet and he doesn’t need to be answering your questions.”

“I-It’s okay Coraline,” Norman assured her. “I was conscious the entire time, but it was kind of like I was listening to the whole thing underwater. Everything was muffled.”

“It hurt a lot, didn’t it?” Mabel asked knowingly, looking up at him with wide, sad eyes. 

Norman looked away. “I-It was fine,” he lied.

No one spoke, and in the silence he knew that no one had believed him. 

“Well…” Raz said slowly, “you did a really good job. You were the one who calmed down Luis from the beginning and now thanks to you he got to talk to his parents again. I don’t think any of us would have gotten that far.”

“And according to Luis you let him stay even longer than he should have,” Coraline said sternly. “That was seriously stupid of you. You could have hurt yourself, you know.”

Norman barely had the energy to shrug. 

“But it was also really brave.” Coraline ruffled the top of his spiky hair. “I’m proud of you, Cuz.” 

Norman smiled shyly to himself at the unexpected praise. 

“I still don’t understand what happened,” Neil admitted. “If Luis’s parents weren’t there that night, then why did he start the fire?”

“Maybe he just lost control of his powers,” Raz suggested. “Then when he died the Other Mother warped his memory of what happened, making him think that his parents called him a freak and that he killed them.”

“Does that sound like something that Other Mother creature would do, Coraline?” Lili asked with a guarded tone.

Coraline sighed tiredly. “If you must know… no, that sounds a little strange for Her. I didn't know she could alter memories of ghosts like that, but if She’s using Luis to get to someone else, then it might make sense that She's breaking from her usual pattern.”

“And by someone else, you mean you,” Raz clarified. 

“Look, I’m not talking about this anymore,” Coraline snapped. “So just drop it.”

The world began to blur around Norman and he was grateful for the sudden silence. He spent all his concentration and energy into putting one foot in front of the other. He just hoped he wouldn’t pass out before they got back at the Shack.

“It’s sad that Luis never told his parents about his powers,” Mabel said. “They would have accepted him and been able to help him. He would have been much happier.”

Norman heard Lili scoff from somewhere behind him. “Yeah right.”

“What, you don’t think they would have accepted him?” Dipper asked in irritation. “Even after they just said that they would?”

“Listen, people say a lot of things in hindsight,” Lili dismissed. “In the back of their minds, they would have always be wishing that their son was normal like them.”

“You don’t know that,” Coraline said. “Maybe some people would be like that, but not everyone.”

“Think whatever you want, Blue,” Lili said, “But no matter how hard they tried, they could never understand him. They would have never been able to accept him for who he is, not really.”

“That’s kinda a mean thing to say,” Mabel said quietly. 

“It’s not mean, it’s the truth,” Lili defended.

Neil shook his head. “But just because they don't understand everything about him doesn't mean that they can't accept him and love him, right Norman?”

Norman bit his lip. He understood what Lili was saying. After all, for most of his life Norman felt this way. No one accepted him or his gift. They didn’t even try. His parents thought it was a phase, his sister thought it was a cry for attention, and the kids in his school thought he was either insane or a pathological liar. 

Then he met Neil, and after that stuff with Aggie, Norman was grateful he had a friend who stuck by him even when things got dangerous and a little weird. Neil believed and accepted Norman in a way Norman had spent years convincing himself that no one would. 

And now, even his parents were trying their best to be accepting of who he was. He knew they would never be able to understand him, but understanding him and accepting him were two different things. 

When it came to his gift, his family didn’t always _ get _ it, but at least they were trying. They accepted him and made room for his gift in their lives, even if it made them uncomfortable at times. It wasn’t perfect, but then again, when had his family ever been?

“Yeah,” Norman said giving Neil a tired but grateful smile. “I agree with Neil.”

“Raz, you get what I’m talking about, right?” Lili asked her boyfriend.

“Umm… I mean, I don’t know...” Raz admitted weakly. “I guess for some people that’s true, but not everyone...”

Lili came to a sudden halt and everyone stopped. 

Norman glanced up and he could see the Mystery Shack standing a few yards away from them. He just wanted to get inside. He didn’t think he could stay upright for much longer, even with the support of Mabel and Neil. 

“Are you serious?” Lili demanded.  The night seemed to grow still around them. 

“Lili-” Raz tried. 

“No, you know what? Nevermind. Forget I asked.” She turned away from Raz and stalked angrily into the shack without a backwards glance. 

“Lili!” Raz called as he ran in after her.

“Umm... what just happened?” Wybie asked.

“Trouble in paradise?” Coraline said with a shrug. “I have no idea.”

Neil and Mabel helped Norman up the stairs and into the shack. Dipper and Mabel’s great uncle was asleep in the chair in front of the TV, but was startled awake as the door accidentally slammed behind them.  

“Wh-wha?” Stan questioned in confusion. “O-Oh you’re back. It’s ‘bout time. Uh... not that I was waiting up for you or anything.” Stan squinted at them. “What are you kids still doing up anyway? Didn't I give you a curfew?”

“Umm, no?” Dipper answered and Mabel giggled. 

“Ah, well, fair enough,” Stan said with a nod. “Yeesh, what happened to that kid?” He asked, looking at Norman. “He looks like death.”

“Well, death did have something to do with it,” Mabel agreed far too cheerily. “Good night Grunkle Stan!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked this chapter! As, for Lili, we will learn more about her perspective in the next chapter.
> 
> My tumblr: [ mysterykidscasefiles.](http://mysterykidscasefiles.tumblr.com/)  
> 


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